The Dwarf and the Siren
by ThatKoiBoi
Summary: Rosella is the daughter of an elven mage family. When the Templar and mages go to war, she ended up a prisoner. After a few years, a chance meeting with a certain dwarf sets her free. This is a tale of her new life with the Inquisition, and her blooming love for the man who saved her life. Can she get him to return her feelings, or will she forever be in another woman's shadow?
1. Dear Rosella

The night air was crisp with the fragrance of the forest as the inquisition set up camp for the night. Everyone had headed for their respective tents, including Varric. The dwarf usually was the last one to fall asleep, he always had a lot of thoughts to go through before he could rest, most of them ideas for his stories inspired by his travels in the inquisition. How long had he been awake? Hours? As he was wrapping up his thoughts for the night and closing his eyes to finally get some rest, an unusual sound drifted towards the camp. Singing? But who would be out singing at this time of night? The Hinterlands was in the midst of an active war, this wasn't normal. Varric quickly put on his clothing, grabbed Bianca, and headed for the direction of the singing. It was light, it floated through the air as if being carried by the wind itself.

" _Niiji no wayeh grats, gaivahn…"_

The singing grew in clarity, but the language unrecognizable, something the dwarf had never heard before. It was a woman's voice, it was getting closer, luring him in like a siren's call. He chased the song with growing determination. The singing gripping him in a way even the famous author couldn't form into words. It haunted him.

 _"Niiji no wayeh grats gaivahn…"_

The song was closer now, it sent a shiver down his spine as the sound infiltrated his very core. It was imperative that he find the source. His body in almost a trance-like state carried him to a river surrounded by brush, an area he had yet to explore with the inquisition. And there at the epicenter of that river stood the source of the phantom voice that gripped him so fiercely. It was an elven woman, her dark skin and blush colored hair illuminated by the glow of the moon. She was bathing in the river, and she hadn't yet noticed her dwarven onlooker. Varric quickly veiled himself in the cover of the brush that surrounded the river, his mind swirling with his thoughts, and her singing. He wanted to look away, it was wrong to stare at a woman bathing without her knowledge, but he couldn't. He was entranced by her image. The way her pastel pink mane of curls bounced with her dancing, the way her voluptuous body beaconed him, it was too much, but his body moved closer on its own, he couldn't control it.

 _"Gaivahn, gaivahn, gaivahn, gaivahn, gaivahn…"_ , again her voice rang out, but this time Varric noticed something. As she sang, the dormant flora on the brush around them began to glow bloom, as if by magic. At the same time, the wounds on Varric's body he sustained earlier that day began to heal.

"Her voice… It can _heal_ people?" He was so caught off guard by the display that he had accidentally misstepped and fell right out of the bush he was hidden behind, and right out into the open. The singing abruptly stopped as the singing maiden was startled by the noise. She let out a gasp and looked over in Varric's direction, her face wore a look of fear and surprise. She covered herself and quickly lowered her body into the concealing grace of the water she stood in, all while keeping her gazed locked on the dwarf.

"Who are you," A mature yet sultry voice questioned. "You aren't supposed to be here. _Nobody_ is supposed to be here," Her voice began to fill with moderate panic as her eyes now shifted around as if looking for someone else.

"Woah, calm down there." Varric replied, noting the panic in her voice. "I'm sorry to have barged in like that, but I heard your singing and followed it here. It was… beautiful. Anyway," He said shaking his head, now that he could think clearly without the singing. "What are you doing outside at night alone, this place is dangerous, you know?"

The woman calms down slightly, but her expression is still quite unusually tense. "I'm only allowed out at night," She replied in a sigh. "I'm a bandit slave, and you _really_ shouldn't be here, you're the one that is in danger," Her voice turned to a pleading one, as the worry became more apparent on her features. "If they see you with me they _will_ kill you."

"Bandits?" Varric questioned. "Andraste's ass, how did you get into a situation like that?"

"I was sold to them, by templars…," She sighed, her expression changing to that of sadness as she recounts her past to the man. "I… I was born of a family of elven mages. When the war broke out between the templars and the mages, they came for us. They killed my mother and father, and they were going to take us in and do maker knows what to us, but a group of bandits looked at us and cut the Templars a deal in exchange for us. They didn't even think twice about it. They separated my younger sister and I, they're holding her somewhere, alive, in exchange for my cooperation. The bastards," She gritted her teeth on the last line. "I haven't seen or heard about her since…"

"That's awful, I-" His reply was interrupted by an arrow being shot right at him, the dwarf barely managed to evade it, it sent him falling backwards, he was quite taken aback.

"They must have contacted the leader, you have to run, _now_!" The woman screamed to the dwarf.

"Not without you!" Varric retorted "The inquisition can _help_ you, you _and_ your sister, but you need to come with me," The dwarf looked into her eyes pleading, extending his hand out to her, hoping he will heed her words. "Trust me."

Trust? Could she? Her sister's life was on the line, trust was a privilege for her situation, but what if his words were genuine? If she just took his hand, would she really see her sister again? She didn't know if it was because of the way he looked, or if she was just desperate for freedom, or even just stupid, but whatever it was, she walked to the bank and took his hand, fleeing into the forest with the sound of an army behind them. She just prayed to Andraste she was right. Whatever happens now, there's no turning back.

The sound of footsteps and hooves was heavy in the air as Varric and the elven woman sprinted through the forest. Both panting as the adrenaline carried them forward. Whoever these bandits were, they were not going to let this go by without bloodshed. As they sped through the forest, something felt overwhelmingly off to the woman. Why did the bandits not kill her rescuer on site, why did they let him get so close? She has seen the carnage firsthand they were capable of, so why now of all times to slip up? This was wrong, something was _deeply_ wrong. This was too easy. But she couldn't stop and think about it now, they weren't safe yet. She followed Varric to the inquisition's camp, and from there Varric hurridly began waking everyone up.

"Tiny, Sparkler, Inquisitor! Wake up, we've got trouble!" Varric yelled, as everyone begrudgingly emerged from their tents.

"Dammit, dwarf, what did you do now?" The Iron Bull grumbled, Dorian walking out behind him looking just as displeased. "Did you piss off a bear or something?" Then The Bull looked towards the nude woman standing next to him, and stared her up and down, and whistled. "Damn, nice tits," This earned him a mild slap from Dorian, and she covered her bare body with her arms.

"This is serious. She needs our help, and there's some not so nice guys that really want her back, and _my_ head," Varric replied, a look of genuine worry crossing his face for a moment.

At this point the inquisitor stepped up and looked to the woman, a diplomatic look gracing his features. "What is your name?" He asked he asked her quite formally.

"Rosella…" She replied timidly. "Rosella Bihari," She looked up to the inquisitor, half expecting him to say something cold to her, or call her a knife-ear. But, those expectations never came.

He simply nodded, and turned towards the now growing sounds of their company. "Welcome to the Inquisition."

In that moment, they were greeted by armored men, and one man in gilded armor. His face covered in the scars of his victories, he radiated an intimidating aura, with the voice to match. "I knew letting you run was the right call. Who knew the Herald of Andraste was camping in my very backyard," He chuckled sickeningly. "What a good wench you are, Rosella," She couldn't even reply to him, she was gripped with absolute fear, and it showed. Her entire demeanor changed, she knew it was too good to be true. Tears streamed down her face as her body remained completely petrified.

The Inquisitor put a hand to Rosella's shoulder to calm her, and then stepped up to the figure. "She is under the protection of the Inquisition. If you want to leave here alive, I suggest you turn around and find someone else," To this the bandit leader smirked.

"Oh _is_ she now? Rosella, have you forgotten about your sweet little sister? What do you think I'll do to her if you leave now? She'll only take your place, you know," He said in a disgustingly condescending tone. His words destroyed the short moment of hope Rosella held in her heart. They sent her sinking to the ground, her shoulders slumping in defeat, her silent tears dipping into the dirt. He fed off of this, he enjoyed her display of anguish, but that was only the beginning.

Varric lent a comforting hand to the woman, whilst shooting a look of disgust at the merciless bandit. The Inquisitor stepped in front of the display in order to regain focus of the other man. "Name your price. Both of them," The Inquisitor bargained calmly. "The Inquisition has an ample amount of connections and gold, anything you require, we will exchange for Rosella, and the return for her sister," And what happened next was quite unexpected, the Inquisitor actually knelt before the man, he bore weakness for a common bandit. This, this really pleased the bandit leader.

"This girl isn't just your common wench, Inquisitor. She provides some services that are quite irreplaceable. Her songs can part water, even shake the very earth you stand. She's a powerful weapon, and a good lay," He chuckles. "You're going to need a lot of gold for her."

"I can arrange that a portion of the Inquisition's funds we acquire be given to you and your men. You will never have to steal a day in your life again. You will be fully funded by the Inquisition, in return for this woman's life," He stood and looked the man in the eye. "Do we have a deal?"

The bandit grinned once more and laughed, now he had the very Inquisition in his debt, this was too good to pass up. The bandit nodded with a twisted smirk. "You have yourself a deal, Inquisitor," He agreed in a mocking tone.

"What about Mareli, what about my sister?" Rosella choked out. "I want my sister back, please," She begged, her eyes red from crying. "Where is she?"

The bandit laughed. "Oh, her? We sold her a long time ago to some Noble in Orlais. She's been gone. If you want her, you'll have to get her back from him. And don't think about attacking me now, I can still have her killed if I want."

"Damn you!" She yelled out in pain. Just when she thought should would see her only remaining family member alive again. "Damn you…" Her voice broke, no longer able to hold in her pain. Varric continued to comfort her, with Dorian now joining, and covering her body with a blanket. Rosella clung to the dwarf as she wept.

"This has been quite fun. Thank you for living up to the silver I paid for you, Rosella," The bandit leader spoke once again in that condescending tone he so loved. "And thank you Inquisitor. We will be seeing a lot of each other from now on."

With that the bandit signaled his men to fall back, and they went as quickly as he came, leaving the group befuddled. That couldn't have just happened, and yet they all witnessed it. The group then stood in silence as they looked to their leader, who hadn't moved from his spot in what seemed like an eternity. The silence was deafening, and then one voice broke it.

"So are we going to talk about this or…?" The Iron Bull questioned, stepping up to the Inquisition's side.

The Inquisitor sighed and turned to address the group, as calm as ever. "We need to return to Skyhold immediately, I need to inform Josephine about our deal with the bandits, and contact Leliana about getting some information on the man that's holding Rosella's sister. And you…" He faced Rosella, who was still kneeling on the ground. "I need to ask you a lot of questions, I hope you're ready."

"Yes…" She agreed quietly as she picked herself up from the dirt. "Anything you want to know, I will tell it all," She looked down, the woman was still in shock. She couldn't believe that someone had just set her free. After five years of captivity, she was finally free. Such a feat only felt like a miracle, maybe the Maker heard her prayers after all.

After a long trip to Skyhold, the group finally made it back, and they were greeted by a rather unhappy looking Josephine. "Bandits!? Are you mad!?" She scolded the Inquisitor. "It is bad enough that we are fighting Corypheus, and a giant hole in the sky, why add _bandits_!?" The Ambassador put a hand to her forehead and just shook her head. "I cannot believe you," She didn't even acknowledge the rest of the group that watched the scene unfold before them.

"Looks like Leliana's spies told you the… good news," He sighed. "It's nice to see you too, dear," The Inquisitor replied with a small apologetic smile, and took her by the shoulder. "I have a good reason for it, I promise." He then whisked the Antivan away for a private discussion about their current position, leaving the rest of the group to themselves.

"Well, there _he_ goes," The Iron Bull remarked, as he put an arm around Dorian and smirked. "Let's get out of here. I'm in need of some ale and a good time."

"Consider me in," Dorian agreed as the two made their way towards Skyhold's local tavern, leaving only Varric and Rosella the remaining members of their party.

The two stood in silence for a moment, before both tried to speak at the same time, cutting each other off accidentally, and changing the mood to that of a slightly award one.

"You… you first." Varric gestured, rubbing the back of his head. Not really sure what to say next.

"I want to thank you for everything you've done," She said as she played with the makeshift cloak that the Inquisitor had made to cover her bare body, finding herself unable to look the dwarf in the eyes. "You saved my life, I still can't believe that happened, this all feels like a dream to me."

"Well, I'm glad to say that it's all completely real," The dwarf smiled up at her. "And you never have to go back." This earned a small smile from the elven woman. "Here, I'll take you to my room, there's a lot I want to ask you."

Rosella nodded, finally looking the dwarf in the face. "Okay, Varric." With those words, the two made their way up to his room. The way wasn't all that far from the courtyard, they must have taken into account his stature and made accommodations for him. Once they arrived at his door, they were greeted by a moderately sized stone room with a table adorned with candles, fireplace, and a full sized bed. There were wooden shelves along the walls. each one filled to the edge with books. It was nothing extravagant, but the room felt warm and inviting. Rosella took a step inside and took in the comforting aura of the room. After having lived with bandits for five years, this place was absolute heaven to her. "It's lovely, she remarked as she looked at Varric. "This… I haven't felt this feeling in years. It feels like home."

"I'm glad you like it." Varric chuckled, shutting the door and taking a seat at the table. "You can stay here if you want," He motioned for the woman to take a seat in front of him, and she followed suit. "So," He said resting his elbow on the table, and resting his chin in his hand. "Tell me about yourself. Who _is_ Rosella?"

"Well, I told you some of what's happened to me back at the river. I was sold and enslaved to bandits after my parents were killed, and I'm a mage," She looked down to the table. "I lived with those bandits for five years. I tended to their injured, cooked for them, and… was to bed them at their leisure."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." The dwarf replied. "Did they hurt you?" He asked.

"Nothing that my magic couldn't repair. Fortunately for me, scars didn't fancy them, so they wouldn't attack me," She replied, trying to smile a bit as she picked at the silver lining.

"I meant to ask you about that," Varric said, setting himself up straight in curiosity. "Back at the river, when you were singing, your voice _healed_ me. Is your voice magic, by any chance?"

Rosella blushed a bit as she recounted the part where he walked in on her. "Y-Yes and no. My voice itself isn't magic, not without my magic ability. I use a bit of my mana and emotions when I sing, depending on what I feel at the moment, the outcome can be different. The only drawback is that I can become very fatigued if I use mana with my singing for too long."

"And the song you were singing then?" He questioned, quite intrigued by her ability.

"What you heard last night was one I sang every night to heal myself. They may have not attacked me, but their advances certainly left bruises. But… I also sang that night to relax. It was the one moment I wasn't in a cage, or being handled by bandits. Sure, they watched me, but the night was my only solace. I could forget for a moment where I was, what I was. It made me feel normal," This time she smiled genuinely.

Varric also smiled, he admired her attitude. "I meant what I said back there, your voice was beautiful. I mean I walked across a whole forest for it," He joked, earning a giggle from the pink haired woman, her sky blue eyes filling with mirth. For a moment, only a moment, Varric could feel his heartbeat rise a little as he looked at her. "Will you… will you sing for me again sometime?"

"Yes," She nodded, her pastel waves bouncing with the movement. "Anytime for you." This time she was fully smiling, and again stuck the dwarf's heart with a slight flutter.

The two talked until day became night, and exhaustion was beginning to overcome them. The candles burning at the table had finally reached their end, and Rosella found herself beginning to nod off. Varric smiled and stood up from his seat.

"Well, why don't we call it a day?" He suggested with a smile.

Rosella nodded, and looked over to the bed. "Ah, wait. Where will you sleep, Varric?" She asked him, as she stood. "I don't want to put you out of your own bed," She looked down to the dwarf in mild worry.

Varric chuckled and shook his head. "It's alright, I can sleep on the floor. I think you could use that bed more now than I could. Can't imagine the bandits were having you sleep on a proper one," He assured.

She shook her head. "Not at all," She agreed. "Are you _sure_ It's okay?" She asked once more for clarification, her head tilting slightly.

"Yeah it's fine," He reassured, beginning to craft a makeshift bed of blankets on the ground. "The floor never hurt anyone." He said with a grin.

Rosella nodded, and sat on the bed. It was soft, Rosella could feel herself almost sinking into it. The Inquisition really knew how to treat its members to the luxuries of life. But even with the warmth of the fire, and the plush surface of the bed, she still felt something weighing on her mind. The worry she felt managed to materialize onto her face, and Varric noticed.

"What's the matter?" He asked her, his face quizzical.

"Why does it feel like if I sleep, I'll wake up back at the bandit camp, and this would have all been a dream?" She asked softly.

"Is there any way I can make you feel more comfortable?" Varric asked. To this Rosella opened her mouth as if she was about to talk, but her lips closed, her cheeks filling with a heated red as she looked away from the dwarf. "What is it, Rosella?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow at her.

"H-Hand…" Her hesitant voice requested.

"Hand?" He repeated back to her in question.

"Can I… hold your hand?" She asked, now peeking to him behind her wall of pink waves, her blushing becoming more apparent.

Varric smirked and chuckled a bit. "That's all you wanted?" The image of a grown woman so embarrassed to ask for her hand to be held was so amusing to the dwarf. Rosella nodded, too embarrassed to speak. The dwarf laughed once more before laying down beside the bed on the ground, extending his hand out to her. "Here," He said with a smile.

Rosella smiled, lying down on the bed and taking his hand, interlacing their fingers. It felt strange. She felt something different. Nervousness? Rosella looked over the side of the bed to the dwarf, their eyes connecting, hers finally showing content as they became half lidded. She looked at his golden brown eyes, funny, she never noted the color before, they were beautiful. She smiled at him and mouthed a thank you, before she drifted off, the combination of Varric's warmth and the soft embrace of the bed lulling her to sleep. Varric, however, couldn't fall asleep as easily. His mind was still buzzing with thoughts of the woman sleeping beside her. He gazed at her slumbering form. She had a mature appearance that you would expect of an overtly sexual woman, but her personality was soft, honest, innocent even. She was one massive contrast, but it pulled him in. She was one interesting woman, he'd give her that.

What had he gotten himself into?


	2. Trial

A warm and gentle voice flowed through Varric's sleeping ears. It felt peaceful and familiar. Whose was it? His brows furrowed as he began to wake, the voice becoming clearer now that he was conscious. As he sat up, his vision slightly blurred by sleep, he looked over to his right to see the figure of the voice's owner, illuminated by the morning rays shining through the window. Varric rubbed his eyes, as his vision began to clear, and he could clearly see her. The mocha skin and pastel hair, now adorned in a white gown. The woman looked over to Varric and smiled, overjoyed to see his face.

"Good morning, Varric!" She greeted cheerily, her face much more relaxed and radiant than it was the night before.

"Well then, that's one way to wake up. Good morning." He chuckled. There was something else in the room, a smell. Food? "What's that smell" Varric asked, as he stood up, a little sore from sleeping on the floor that night. Rosella beamed at the question, she was extremely excited for him to see what she had done for him. The elf almost hopped out of bed with joy as she walked over to the table.

"I made breakfast for you, to thank you." The elf played with her cotton waves absentmindedly as she waited for the Dwarf's reply. "I-I hope you like it."

"Wow, this is a first." The Rogue sat down at the table and observed the spread before him. It was a basic breakfast, bacon, eggs, the works, nothing too special, but much unexpected. "When did you…?" He trailed off in question.

"Well I woke up this morning and you were still asleep, and I thought I would surprise you so I borrowed the inquisition's kitchen and made you breakfast." she looked to the side her smile softening. "I used to do this for the bandits, but I wanted to do it for you."

Varric nodded, and then noticed the gown Rosella was wearing, she hadn't been wearing it the night before. "Where did you get the dress?" He asked with a puzzled expression.

"Ah!" She perked up "Josephine gave it to me after she noticed me wearing the cloak the inquisitor made." She gave him a small twirl looking quite pleased. "It's been so long since I've had proper clothing, I'm so happy." She smiled at him. "Do you like it?"

The dwarf would be lying if he said he didn't, the dress accentuated her natural assets perfectly why leaving a lot to the imagination. "It suits you." He nodded as he took a bite of the food she had made for him. "Mother of Andraste, this is great!" This made the elf grin with accomplishment.

"All of it" She confirmed, extremely proud of herself. "And I can do it again tomorrow, if you'd like."

"Yes, if you don't mind." Continued eating and then paused. "What about you, aren't you going to eat?"

"Oh, I already did earlier." She replied, now taking a seat at the table. "I was waiting for you to wake, and kept your food warm with magic." The elf began to play with her hair again, her blue eyes moving their way up to Varric's.

The dwarf grunted in acknowledgment. "Thank you."

"You're welcome" She said with a soft smile. She had had a busy morning. She had been questioned by the inquisitor, and grilled by the Ambassador. But it was worth it, she was happy, she hadn't known this kind of comfort since she had been with her parents years ago. It was all thanks to the man sitting before her. She was thankful to Varric, the dwarf had risked his very life to save her, he was a good man. Her eyes wandered over his face, the dwarf didn't look that bad. His eyes were soft, but not very revealing. She tilted her head when she noticed the scar on his nose, but decided that was a question for another time. His jawline was rugged, and the stubble that adorned it, attractive. She couldn't stop herself from staring now that she's getting a better look at him, and her mind free from doubt about her current situation. Her eyes traveled further to his chest and the hair that adorned it, she started to wonder it would be like to run her fingers through it, the thought brought a bit of heat to her face. She couldn't tell what she was feeling, heat travelled from her face towards the pit of her stomach. It was foreign to her. Her eyes move back up to his face, to find his looking right back. This made her jump a bit, and look away.

"Uh, are you alright?" The dwarf asked, noticing the odd behavior.

"Y-Yes" she blurted, embarrassed that she had observed her liberator in such a way. What was _wrong_ with her? Still, she couldn't ignore this feeling. "Um, anyway," she started, trying to change the subject. "What do you all usually do here?" She asked.

"Nothing usually" he replied, finishing the last of his food. "Unless the Inquisitor needs us, we usually just hang out around Skyhold. Sometimes drinking ale and playing an occasional game of Wicked Grace."

"Ah, I see. " She said, looking around the room. She noticed the various amount of books around, and decided it was time to get to know _him_. "You have quite a bit of books around here, do you enjoy reading?" she asked, resting an arm on the table.

"Actually, I write them, these are all my stories." He smiled, marveling at his works.

"Really!?" She exclaimed, almost jumping out of her char to take one of the many books off the shelf. "That's amazing, Varric!" She marveled the cover, looking at his name gracing the cover in awe. "Hard in Hightown?"

"Ah yes, one of my most popular books." He responded, leaning back in his chair. "I can't turn around without people talking to me about it."

"Amazing." She remarked to herself, as she returned the book to the shelf and sat back down at the table with Varric. "That reminds me, I don't know anything about _you_ yet. I mean…" She began to comb through those pink tresses in comfort. "It would be nice to know the man that saved my life." She gave him a soft look, her face as genuine as ever.

"Tell you what" Varric began, "Later today we can go to the tavern and I'll let you ask me any questions your little elf heart desires." He said with a wink which lit a small fire in Rosella's heart.

"You have a deal." She agreed, another rush of heat making its ascent towards her face once more. "S-So then, what did you want to do in the meantime?"

"Well, I talked with Inquisitor when you first came to us, and described what your singing had done, he wanted to see what you could do, and also how well." The dwarf said.

"Alright," She nodded in agreement. "Does this mean he accepts ne into the Inquisition?"

The Dwarf chuckled at her question. "Well, it's not like he can really turn anyone away right now. That's how we got Tiny and Sparkler" He began. "And besides, I'd say you fit right into our group of weirdos. Just don't make Cassandra mad, shell throw you in a chair and shove a knife through your book," The dwarf laughed

Rosella smiled, the dwarf always knew how to calm her nerves. "So, when can we start?" She asked as she stood up from her seat.

"Well, seeing as you're already standing," He teased. "I'd say we can start right now," He said as he got up, putting on his coat and gloves, and grabbing Bianca as he made his way to the door. "You ready, lady?" Asked the Rogue.

"A little nervous, but ready as I'll ever be." She replied as she walked over to him. Lady? Was that her name now? She'd have to ask him later after all of this was over.

The two stepped out the door and made their descent down the short stone steps to the courtyard. Two members of the Inquisition awaiting their arrival. The Inquisitor, and Cassandra looked over to the pair as they arrived. All were wearing their respective armor, leaving Rosella the odd woman out, as if a pink-haired elf _didn't_ stand out.

"Hello again." Rosella chirped to the Inquisitor who nodded back to her in response. Rosella looked to the rest of the party. "I feel quite under dressed for this occasion." She jested in nervousness, still unable to feel calm around these people.

"I have already had armor prepared for you, come," Cassandra said as she addressed the elven woman, her voice authoritative as ever, much to Rosellas unease.

Rosella waited for Cassandra to be out of earshot before speaking to Varric in a hushed whisper. "I'm guessing this is the Cassandra you were speaking of?"

Varric grinned knowingly and laughed. "Yep, the stone-faced lady of the Inquisition. You'd better hurry." The dwarf said with a wink.

"Oh dear," The elf muttered to herself as she hurried towards Cassandra, not even trying to see what the Warrior's wrath could do.

Varric watched the elven woman leave with amusement. She would certainly fit in here. Once she was out of sight, the dwarf turned to the rest of the group and spoke. "Well, should we start setting up, I have a feeling this could be messy."

"Agreed. We will need to make sure anything of importance is out of harm's way." The Inquisitor replied, as he surveyed the area.

The group began clearing out the battle area while the two women were away. They set up multiple tests of different terrains and elements to better gauge the woman's abilities and limits, while also setting up protective countermeasures so that nothing at Skyhold would be damaged. After a while, the women returned, Rosella now adorned in emerald green mage armory, with her long hair now put up into a short combat appropriate style of braids. In her hand was a basic staff that they would use to gauge her skills. Rosella walked up to the group, her face showing obvious nervousness behind a forced smile, Varric noticed and moved in closer to speak to her.

"You'll do fine, alright?" Varric assured with that warm smile of his, it filled Rosella's chest with butterflies. This man was too charming for his own good.

Rosella smiled and faced the Inquisitor, "I'm ready. Cassandra already filled me in on that I should do," Her voice a little more confident than it was earlier.

"Good," The Herald replied, walking with her over to the beginning of the series of obstacles they had prepared. "We need to see the limits of your powers in as many situations as we possibly can. We are facing a threat unlike any other, and we want to make sure you are prepared for anything," He then turned to face Rosella. "If at any point this becomes too much, feel free to stop. You can begin at any time."

Rosella nodded and took a breath in as she focused, and started her trial. The elven woman had complete a series of attacks, both in song and through casting. First up was her singing longer ranged abilities. She had to hit various targets at different distances, using different elemental magic to test the reach of her singing, but she also had to keep it up for as long as she could to test her endurance as well. The elven woman wasn't well versed in using her voice for destructive magic, so this was quite a challenge for her, and unfortunately the most important one. She didn't want to disappoint the people that saved her, so she gave it her all. In a line of twelve training dummies ten feet apart each, Rosella only could manage to hit first four with fire, six with lightning, and five with ice, however, she was able to hit ten with a wave of sound, it knocked over the dummies and broke the very sticks they were standing on. The three watched over her as she completed her trials, Varric watched almost proudly. He saw the effort the Elven put into what she was doing, and it filled him with admiration. Rosella moved onto her next trial, with her staff in hand, she used her magic to hit several targets to test her accuracy. She passed this trial with ease, she was much well versed with a staff than her voice, and still remained standing through her fatigue. She felt incredibly proud of herself. The day turned to a warm sunset as the trials ended. The rest of her trials went off without a hitch, she stood through each one until the very end, and when she finally reached the end she put down her staff and sank to the floor, her hair falling out of place as she breathed shallow breaths. Using magic had taken a lot out of the woman, she hadn't used her magic this way in years.

The Inquisitor walked over to Rosella and extended his hand out to her, for once the man was smiling, it was faint, but still a smile. "You've done well, Rosella," The man praised as she took his hand and stood. "That will be all for today, thank you for your effort."

Rosella nodded, still trying to catch her breath. "Th-Thank you," She stuttered out. "I'm glad I could be of use to you," She beamed with pride.

"You should get some rest, you've earned it" The Inquisitor suggested as he turned and walked away, Cassandra following him to talk about the trial in the war room no doubt.

Once the two departed, Varric came and stood beside her. "I think he's happy with you," The dwarf said.

"I thought my heart would explode, I was so nervous," She replied with a laugh.

"I'm glad it didn't, we still have to get those drinks, remember?" He said, giving her a nudge.

The elf perked up, excited she would finally get to hear about the dwarf. "Of course I do! Ah, wait." She paused as she looked down at herself. "You go ahead, I would like to change. Armor is surprisingly uncomfortable."

"Yeah, it can be," Varric agreed. "I'll meet you at the tavern then, don't get lost," He said with a smirk.

"Wouldn't count on it," She said rolling her eyes playfully before she turned and went on her way to change.

Nearly an hour later, Rosella finally found her way to the Tavern after haven gotten lost. The joint was lively, tonight was talent night, and many people were showing off their skills from singing, to knife juggling, to simple illusions. She was back in her white gown, her hair back to its long unruly mane-like state. Blue eyes scanned the crowd for the dwarf, when she heard a voice beside her.

"Let me guess, you got lost, didn't you?" The voice of Varric came as he stood beside and greeted her. To this Rosella looked off to the side in a pout, her cheeks turning red in response to his words. Damn that dwarf. "Your face says it all."

"I-I did not get lost. I just couldn't find my clothes." She muttered and folded her arms, trying to keep her pride intact.

"Yeah, and I'm a giant," Varric retorted in a playfully sarcastic tone. "Do _all_ elves get lost this easily? I'm gonna have to get you a ball of twine so you don't get lost too,"

"I did _not_ get lost.," Rosella insisted, getting a smirk from the rogue. "Wait, too?"

"You're persistent, I'll give you that." He chuckled and sat at the table adjacent to them, dismissing her question. "Now, do you want some answers or not?" Of course she did. Rosella sighed and took a seat, she couldn't outplay the dwarf, he was way too perceptive for her. "Now then, Lady. You've earned yourself some honest answers to your questions," The dwarf said as he took a drink of the ale he had ordered earlier.

"Honest questions? Does this mean you'll lie about things later?" Rosella said with a squint.

"Not lie, just decorate the story a bit," Varric replied smoothly with a shrug.

Rosella's facial expression did not change as she asked her first question. "How did you end up with the Inquisition?"

"Ah, asking the important questions first I see," He said as he downed the lass bit of ale he had and leaned back in his seat. "It really starts with when the Kirkwall Chantry was destroyed. The guy responsible was an old friend of mine. The seeker had questions about that, and I had answers."

"Kirkwall? Are you from Kirkwall, Varric?" The elvish woman asked, tilting her head at the man.

"Yeah, I am. Born and raised there. And no, it's not as bad as everyone says it is," He nodded. He then gestured to the passing waitress, ordering them both drinks non-verbally. "Anyway, me and Bianca had a lot of fun there, before shit got weird anyway."

"Who is Bianca?" Rosella asked. "I hadn't met Bianca yet."

"Oh right, I never told you!" Varric laughed. "Bianca is my crossbow, one of a kind, and the best one you'll find in all of Thedas."

"Why Bianca? Is Bianca named after someone?" The waitress came back with their drinks and set them in front of the two, nodding, and walking away.

"This will disappoint you, but that's the one story I will never tell."

"And why is that?" Rosella replies, eying her drink.

"It's complicated, I made a promise, let's just leave it at that," He sees her looking at her drink, and decides to be the one to ask a question this time. "What's wrong, do you not like ale?"

Rosella shook her head. "It's not that. I've never… you know," She trailed off, twirling her cotton candy colored tresses between her fingers sheepishly.

This piques the Dwarf's interest, he couldn't pass this moment of teasing up, not a chance. "You've never had a drink before?" He asked, stifling a chuckle.

Rosella's auburn skin flooded with red as she hid her face from view with the table. "Don't laugh at me!" Her muffled voiced begged.

He did anyway, it was too fitting for her, it was laughable. "I knew you were an innocent woman, but _this_ ," He remarked, wiping a tear from his eye. "Why that's almost adorable. I knew I was right about you, Lady."

"And why do you call me that?" Rosella whined, her blue eyes peeking up to the dwarf from the safety from the wooden table.

"Because you're innocent, and fun to tease. It fits you perfectly," The dwarf reached over and patted her head. "I'm glad you have the luxury to be after what happened to you." He said with a genuine smile.

Rosella looked at the man in surprise, and awe. His smile was gorgeous, she couldn't help but be gripped by it. Rosella relaxed into the dwarf's touch, and let out a sigh of relaxation. Even when he was being an ass and teasing her, he always made her feel safe and calm. She loved that about him. Wait, love? The invasive thought snapped her from her daze, her eyes now staring widely at the man before her in her realization.

Varric noticed and shot her a puzzled look. "Uh, Lady?" He questioned.

Rosella jumped a bit in surprise before coming back to her senses. "Ah, sorry! I got a little lost in thought." She said awkwardly. She tried to distract from it by taking a sip of ale, only to grimace at the liquid. "Oh, that's foul." She cringed, pushing the glass away.

The dwarf snickered "I should have warned you, it's an acquired taste." He gave her wink as he finished off another glass. Rotten dwarf.

"Thanks for the warning," she said in a glare.

"You're welcome." Varric smirked, taking her glass. He then proceeded to order her a glass of wine instead. "Here, I think you will like this one better." He said as he handed her the wine.

Rosella stared at suspiciously. "What is it? This isn't another trick, is it?" The dwarf's teasing has made her skeptical.

"Just try it," He said, looking at her expectantly, resting his chin in his hand.

Rosella hesitated for a few more seconds before taking a sip of the red liquid, and finding herself pleasantly surprised. "Oh wow, that's really good, it's sweet."

Varric nodded. "I thought you would like that, I took you for a sweets person."

"Know-it-all," Rosella mocked. She did enjoy the wine, thought. It was less offensive than the ale she had previously.

Before she knew it she had finished the entire glass. And then another. How many? She was having so much fun trading quips with the dwarf that she didn't keep up with her drinks. The world around her became blurry as her head was swimming. Her body felt heavier than normal, she rested her head on the table once more.

Varric noticed and laughed, he was much less drunk than she was, but still a little drunk. "Alright, Lady, time to go home." He got up and helped the elf out of her seat.

Rosella giggled, as Varric put her arm over his shoulder. "Aren't you too short to carry an elf?" She teased.

"Aren't you too drunk to worry about it?" Varric retorted, he began to walk her home. He would admit, it was a challenge to drag her up to their room, but he managed. He kicked open the door and dragged her over to the bed. He tried to lay her down on the bed, but when he did she drug him down with her. He found himself unable to remain stable in his drunken state, and found himself on top of her.

Her half lidded eyes looked into his as she wrapped her arms around his neck, she then brought her lips to his ear and whispered "You're so mean to me, you know," She whined, moving a hand down to his chest, her fingers running through the hair. "But…you make me feel strange, like butterflies trapped in a bottle…"

"Maybe you should sleep, Lady." Varric said, gently removing her hands from his body. "That's the wine talking. Your thoughts should clear up in the morning."

Rosella looked to him, her eyes slightly saddened. "Is this feeling wrong?"

The dwarf didn't know what to do. It wasn't like he didn't feel anything, her touch stirred something within him, but he wouldn't take advantage of a drunken woman, and also that and he still wanted someone else. "If you still feel the way you do in the morning, we'll talk about it then, alright?" He replied, praying she was drunk enough to forget.

The elf wanted to object, but she was much too tired to go into it, she settled and nodded to him. "Okay…" she whispered before fading to sleep.

Varric put her to bed properly before sitting beside the bed, now alone with his thoughts. He wondered if he had made the right choice, if he hurt her. Regarding him, it probably was, he was still in love with Bianca, after all. If he let her continue, she would only get hurt.

"Well, shit."


	3. Lie to Me

The morning greets Rosella with several rays of the sun to the hungover elf's face, waking her into a state of dizziness and confusion. Her head was throbbing, and she could barely open her eyes. What was this feeling? The elf opened her eyes, and tried to regain control of the room spinning around her as she slowly sat up, her entire body disagreeing in varying degrees of pain, with a hint of nausea.

"Mother of Andraste…" She groaned, as she looked around. She didn't quite remember what happened to her, or how she got there. The last thing she remembered was trading quips with Varric, having a drink, and then nothing. She didn't even remember getting home last night, or even falling asleep. But she did know something, the room was quiet. It was unusual, she brought herself to look over the bed and found nothing, nobody. Varric was missing, or rather, he woke up without her. It made her slightly uneasy, or maybe it was the hangover that put her thoughts askew, either way, she needed to find him. She took a deep breath to clear her thoughts, and then used her magic to heal herself to the best of her ability. After a few minutes, she felt a little better, not one hundred percent, but good enough to do what she needed to do. Rosella finally stood, and walked out the door to find out where the dwarf had gone.

As Rosella made her way down to the courtyard, she looked down to see a familiar face. There Varric was, standing there in deep thought. She smiled in relief as she made her way over to him. Varric looked up to her from his thoughts as she grew closer, greeting her with a half-smile.

"Good morning," The man greeted. "I was just about to come and speak to you."

"Speak to me?" Rosella questioned. "About what?"

Varric smiled as he spoke up. "Well, I found a place for you to stay here. I talked to the Inquisitor. We got you your own room, so you can have all of the space and privacy you want."

"What…?" Rosella responded, her smile dropping, her face becoming puzzled.

"I thought you could use a space of your own." Varric, his smile and friendly tone unwavering.

Rosella was incredibly confused. Wasn't it him that insisted that she stay with him in the first place? Why did he change his mind so suddenly? Not only that, he found somewhere else for her to stay _himself_. Something was off, and she could feel it. "Varric, did I do something wrong?" She asked, looking the dwarf right in the eyes.

The question made Varric hesitate for a moment, but he bounced back with quick precision, and lied to her. "Not at all, Lady. I'm doing this for you, as a gift."

Rosella noticed the pause, and wasn't going to let it skate by, now she _knew_ something was really wrong. "You hesitated, don't lie to me, Varric, not now. Do you just not want me around?" Her emotions caught up with her, causing her voice to catch in her throat. "Is it _me_?"

"It's not like that." Varric replied, his façade fading.

"Then what? _You_ brought me here. _You_ asked me to stay with _you_. You were even sleeping on the _floor_ for my sake, Varric! How do you go from _that_ to asking the Inquisitor to put me somewhere else?" Rosella's voice raised as her emotions floated to the surface, right onto her face in heated anger. The air was silent, and Varric was obviously searching for his words in order to not hurt the elven woman with the events of yesterday. Rosella grew impatient and then spoke again. "Can you tell me _anything_!?"

"Rosella," The dwarf began. "I need you to understand, I'm doing this for you. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Hurt? And you think I'm not hurt now? You won't even tell me _why_ , Varric!" Tears began to pool at her eyes as her anger bubbled.

And Varric said nothing this time, instead he turned and walked away. This was better for her, he couldn't let her become attached. This was the best thing for her, no matter how much it hurt him inside to do.

Rosella watched through blurry tear engulfed eyes as the only home she had known for so long walked away from her. The scene become too much for her, and she walked away as well. Her emotions and feet carrying her anywhere but where she stood. Eventually the pink-haired woman found herself in the Inquisition's library, where she finally sat down and cried against a bookshelf.

After a while of listen to the woman sniffle, Dorian popped his head out from the comfort off his nook in the Inquisition's library and looked down to her. "Ah, I was wondering where that sound was coming from." He said as he walked over to her.

Rosella looked up at him, her eyes read and puffy from her crying. "Dorian…" She began, her voice coming out shaky. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." She wiped the tears away from her eyes and tried to straighten herself up, but she was clearly a mess.

"Why you look awful, dear. Whatever happened to you?" Dorian asked, sitting next to her against the bookshelf.

"Dorian, I'm so confused. I don't know what to do…" She said, looking down at the floor.

"Well, starting from the beginning is a good first step, I hear." Dorian said sarcastically, trying to cheer her up.

Rosella nodded and began to tell Dorian what happened to her. "Varric doesn't want me in the same room as him, even though he was the one who brought me here and insisted I could stay. He won't even tell me why he changed his mind, he just kept saying it was better for me. When I asked him why, he walked away." She said, wiping away her tears once again.

"Oh dear, that does sound quite problematic." Dorian responded, pondering the woman's situation. "Although, I am curious. Why is it that you care so much?"

"I…." Rosella paused, he was right. _Why_ did this bother her so much? "I don't know," she replied, her hand going up to run her fingers through her cotton candy tresses. "I haven't known him long, but when I'm around him, my heart feels like it's going to leap right out of my chest. When he looks at me, I get a shiver down my spine. When he wasn't beside me this morning, I felt...scared. I've never felt like this before." As Rosella spoke, her face told all, she bore the expression of a woman in love, and it was extremely obvious to anyone that looked at her.

"Well then, let me ask you this, dear. Have you ever been in love?" The Tevinter asked, his hand coming to his chin.

"Love?" Rosella asked before she shook her head. "I've never had time for something like that. Between the war, and my imprisonment, I've never had the luxury of experiencing love." She then turned to look at Dorian, tilting her head slightly at him. "Why do you ask?"

"Because, my dear, you've just described in perfect detail the feeling of love." Dorian said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You're in love with him."

Rosella was stunned, _this_ was love? "Why does love feel so bloody awful?" She asked, her face perplexed.

This got a small chuckle out of Dorian. "Love is both pleasure and excruciating pain. You hurt because you love him. I think I've figured out why the dwarf casted you aside."

Rosella perked up. "Really? I've been dying for an answer all morning. Please, tell me." She begged.

"Alright, but you may not like the answer." Dorian said with a sigh. "Varric is already in love, with another woman."

"What…?" Rosella's heart sank at the mage's words.

Dorian simply nodded. "He even named his crossbow after her, Bianca, although he refuses to talk about her, and we've never seen her before. I think he knows you love him, as well. Which is why he's distancing himself from you. He didn't want to hurt you."

"Well, shit." She said as she ran her hand through her hair, half smiling, and half trying hard not to cry again.

"How do you feel?" Dorian asked, his eyes looking at her knowingly.

"I still love him." She admitted, the tears beginning to fall once more. "I can't stop. I love him."

Dorian gave her a slight hug, as if he were a parent comforting their child. "Now, will you fight, or will you give up?" Dorian asked.

Rosella shook her head. "No, I want him to know. I want to beside him, no matter what."

Dorian smiled, he admired her tenacity. "Alright. Let's win his heart, shall we?"

Rosella nodded, finally smiling. "Yes."

The pair stood, and made their way towards what would be Rosella's new quarters. The two decided that a good makeover would do her good. When they arrived at the door, Rosella paused, almost afraid to enter. Her entire body was frozen, her hands shook. She turned to Dorian with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, my body won't move." She said.

"How about we do it together, on three?" He suggested to her.

She nodded, "Alright, thank you, Dorian."

"Not a problem." He replied as they both put their hands on the handle. He then began counting down. "One, two, three."

When they opened the door, they were greeted by the drifting scent of roses, and what they saw was even more beautiful. The source of the gentle fragrance, were the many arrangements of ruby clad roses. The room was also adorned in pink, down to the sheer curtains that tied her room together. The room was spacious. She had a fireplace, bed, couch, dresser, wardrobe and nightstand. Her room also had a balcony that looked all the way across the snow covered mountains. The room was beautiful, and it took Rosella aback. She slowly stepped into the room and admired her surroundings.

"This… This is amazing." She breathed out, touching the roses on her nightstand. "How did they even get these?"

Dorian also looked around, he was also quite impressed by the display. "Someone must have put in a lot of effort to find them." He said, he then spotted a letter on the dresser adjacent to them. "Oh, what is this?" he questioned, reading the front of it. "To, Lady?"

Rosella quickly turned to him, surprise on her face. "That's from Varric…" She said.

Dorian held out the note to her. "Maybe you should read it."

Rosella nodded and took the letter, anxiety instantly filing her as she does. "Okay…" she said as she slowly opened it, reading the contents aloud. "Dear, Lady." She began. "I hope you like the roses, I got them for you. I thought you'd like them, also rose is literally in your name. Anyway, I really hope you like them, and I'm sorry. –Varric." Rosella was so taken aback that she had to take a seat on her bed. "He put in so much effort… for me."

"I'm honestly surprised, for someone that supposedly doesn't want you to fall in love with them, he's being extremely romantic. _I_ might fall in love with him." Dorian joked.

Rosella smiled, as a tear fell down her cheek. "Do you think I've got a chance?" She asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"Not in those clothes." He sassed, opening up the wardrobe across the room. "We're going to dazzle him. We'll give him an offer he can't refuse. Rosella nodded in agreement, and the two got to work on her head to toe makeover.

It was night, Varric had spent the entirety of the day trying to write, to no avail. His thoughts were plagued with guilt from how he turned his back on Rosella. It burned him inside that he had made her cry, but he knew that he couldn't love her the way she deserved to be loved. He was still hung up on Bianca, for fifteen years he's been chasing after her, he couldn't bring himself to let her go, even if she _is_ married. It was hard for him, but had to do it for her sake. He just wanted her to be happy. He crumpled and tossed another failed piece of paper into the pile. He pulled another sheet, but when he was about to write, he was stuck by a familiar sound. Singing.

 _"Doth thee remember the night where we met? Stars danced on the water in a scene I can't forget"_

The song echoed, as if it was calling for him. The dwarf knew that voice anywhere. He stood to go in search for the singing woman. He opened his door to find that rosella wasn't too far away. She was standing near the steps. She looked different from what she was wearing earlier. Her figure illuminated by the moonlight, her pink mane tamed in a braided updo, her body draped in silky semi-transparent garment, gilded with golden embellishments. She looked almost like a walking goddess. He certainly was in awe of her.

 _"Once a man saved a maiden from her eternal cell. I'll tell thee a story of the night the maiden fell"_

Rosella's singing faded to a stop as she turned to look at the man. Her blue eyes locking onto his, her face serene and gentle. She sauntered over to the dwarf to speak to him. "Varric." Her voice called to him softly.

"Rosella, listen, I—" Varric began, but was interrupted by Rosella putting a finger to his lips.

"I know, Varric. I know." She smiled, it was calming and sweet. Her face looked upon him with love. "You love someone else." She said as she moved her hand to Varric's cheek.

"I'm sorry for what I did." He said as he moved his hand up to hers. "I should have told you, but I didn't want to hurt you."

"It's okay, Varric. I talked to Dorian, I understand. But, I want you to know that I love you. I fell in love with you, and I _want_ to be in love with you, even if it's never reciprocated. That's _my_ choice." She said, her radiant smile moving him internally. "Most importantly, though, I want _you_ to be happy. That's all I ask of you."

"Rosella, I may never love you the way you love me, nor may I ever stop loving Bianca. Are you _sure_ you're okay with this?" Varric asked her, worry plastered on his face.

Rosella nodded, she moved her hand to intertwine her fingers with his. "You set me free, Varric. I'm free to hate, and I'm free to love. I'd like to use this freedom to love you, until the day Andraste takes me." She then looked into his eyes, making sure he knew her genuine feelings for him. "I love you, Varric Tethras."

Somewhere inside him, a small part wanted to say the words back, but he couldn't bring himself to say them, so he simply nodded in response. "I promise I won't run from you again. You have my word." He said as he moved to hug her.

Rosella melted into the embrace, tears of happiness pooling her eyes. "Thank you." She whispered to the dwarf. Even if he didn't return her feelings the way she wanted, she was happy. She was happy just being able to love him, and watch him live his life, this was good enough for her.

This was all she could ever ask for.


	4. Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts

**The following chapter has a brief depiction of attempted rape. If you are sensitive to such a topic, you may want to skip this chapter.**

A few months had gone by, and Rosella was beginning to fit right in with the other members of the Inquisition, especially with Dorian, the two were now inseparable. She told him everything, and he did the same, especially when he discussed his escapades with The Iron Bull. The Inquisitor had finally warmed up to her, still stoic, but friendlier, she thought at least. She'd started to get better with healing magic, helping out the other mages using her singing. She also met someone named Cole, or so she thought, she couldn't really remember anymore. One thing hadn't changed, though. She still certainly loved Varric, and when she wasn't with everyone else, she was with him. The two had grown closer since the night she confessed to him. Every once in a while they would meet at the pub to tell each other stories, it was almost a game for them, to see who could tell the wildest story, and Varric always won. Other days, they would play games of Wicked Grace with the other members of the Inquisition. But every day, she felt more at home, like she had an actual family again.

Today was a different day, today she was finally going to get the news she had been waiting for, for a very long time.

Rosella was standing out on her balcony, watching the sun rise above the snowy peaks of the mountains, feeling the contrast of the cool mountain air and the warm rays of the morning gracing her skin. It had become a part of her daily routine. This was interrupted, however, by a knock at her door. Rosella sauntered her way over, she didn't get many visitors to her room, other than Dorian. And it was quite strange, especially at this hour. When she finally opened the door, she was greeted by a very unusual visitor, Leliana.

"Leliana, hello, how are you?" The elf greeted with a smile, her voice sweet and elegant.

"I am well." Leliana responded. "I have some news regarding your sister."

"Mareli!?" Rosella jumped at the news, worry filling her body. "Is she alright? Did you find her? Is she okay?" Questions spilled from the elven woman's lips faster than Leliana could ever even wish to respond.

Leliana held up a hand to stop the word vomit coming from the other woman, so she could get her answer out. "I've only found who is keeping her. A man named Arnaud de la Motte. A noble man of Orlais."

Rosella's energy faded into a somber expression as she thought about her sister, how far away from seeing her again she felt. "Oh…" she sighed out. "Do you know where we can find him?"

Leliana nodded. "We have intel that he will be attending the party at the Winter Palace, which is good. The inquisition has already been intending to intend, there is hit on Empress Celene's head, and we need to warn her. We can gather information about your sister while we are there."

Rosella took a moment to process the information before speaking again. "Thank you for telling me, Leliana, and for looking into this for me."

"Of course." Leliana said with a nod. "We will be leaving for the party tonight, Josephine will brief you later. Good day." She said as she turned and left.

Rosella closed the door, her head swimming with her emotions and thoughts, battling each other in her mind for her focus. She went and sat on her bed to attempt to get herself together, much to no avail. Tonight she would find her little sister. It filled her with hope, but also there was the small bit of doubt that weighed in the back of her mind that she wouldn't get the answer she hoped for. She decided it was time for a trip to see Varric to calm her nerves.

Rosella made the short trip down the stone steps of Skyhold to Varric's quarters, and stopped at his door. Rosella let herself in, the two always allowed each other to walk in whenever one wanted to talk to the other. They were each welcome in the other's space whenever they pleased. The room was still dark, it appeared that Varric hadn't lit his candles yet. Rosella peered into the darkness, and then over to the direction of Varric's bed.

"Varric?" She called softly, looking for a response, and received only the sounds of gentle breathing. She walked forwards a bit towards the sound. After Rosella's eyes adjusted to the dark, she could make out Varric's sleeping form from under animal hide blankets. He was slightly lit by the light shining through the curtained windows beside his bed. His body was clad in nothing but the necklace he always wore on him at all times. His hair was untied, the golden locks spreading out beneath his sleeping head. Her eyes wandered over his features, stopping at his bare chest, and the hair that adorned it. Oh how she dreamed to put her hands through that forest of hairs just once, the thought made her squirm with longing. She had never come to his room this early before, aside from when the two had roomed together when she first arrived. She had never seen him sleep so bare, and she thanked the maker that she was able to see such a sight. He was incredibly muscular, which made sense for someone that had to lift such a heavy machine like his crossbow. Rosella took the scene in a few more seconds before deciding to leave and let the dwarf sleep. But, as the pink elf turned to leave, she tripped over a stack of papers Varric had been working on the night before, as she went down with a pretty sizable thud on the stone floor, papers flew up in all directions before floating back down and over her. The area was a mess.

The noise woke Varric with a jolt, sitting up he peered out into the distance to find the source of the disturbance, and saw rosella, covered in papers. "Andraste's ass, you scared me." Varric sighed, his heart throbbing from the abrupt awakening.

Rosella sat up slowly as her face contorted slightly in pain, the stone not very cushioning to her body. "Ah… I'm sorry" she wheezed out as she held her side to do a little healing magic on herself. "I couldn't really see, and tripped. Sorry about the papers."

"That's alright." Varric moved and opened the curtains beside him, bringing a bit of light into the room so he could see Rosella better. "You're here early." He remarked, moving the hair out of his face with his hand, his golden brown looking down to her.

Blue eyes met his, a rosy blush spreading onto the face of the elf as she looked away from him. "I-I came to talk to you." She said softly as she stood, her pain subsiding thanks to her magic. "Leliana told me she knows who has my sister, and we're going to find him tonight at the Winter Palace."

"How do you feel?" The dwarf asked as he moved over, making a spot for Rosella, and motioning her to sit down.

Rosella sat beside him, and her anxious hands went up to play with her hair. "Scared? Nervous? Happy?" She said, uncertainty lacing her voice.

"All of the above?" Varric said in a half joking manner in attempt to keep the mood light for her sake. "But really, you don't have to worry." He moved his hand and rested it on her shoulder. "We're going to get your sister back, tonight, and I'll be right beside you the whole time. He won't get away with it, I promise."

"Thank you, Varric." She gave a small sigh of relief before speaking again. "I've never been to Orlais before. I don't even know how to interact with nobles."

"They aren't the most hospitable people. The Game doesn't make that any better." He said with a chuckle. "You won't need to say much, just smile and agree with everything they say. Nobles are simple."

"That doesn't sound pleasant." Rosella frowned slightly.

"Oh no, it's the _worst_. At least I'll have you there to make it a little less painful." Varric shot her a smile.

Rosella's heart melted at the sight, he was too smooth for his own good. "Happy I can help." She giggled as she stood up. "I should go talk to Josephine and prepare for tonight." She stepped over to face the dwarf, and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek, her soft curls brushing against him. "Thank you for talking to me." Her sweet voice whispered to him before she turned and sauntered away.

"No problem…" Varric replied as he watched the elf walk away. After she was gone, he turned to the mess on the floor.

Rosella spent the entirety of the day going over how to play the gamer with Josephine, and trying to figure out a plan to get information out of Arnaud. The plan was that while everyone else was trying to save Celene, Rosella would seek out Arnaud, seduce and drug him so they could bring him back to Skyhold, and get the answers out of him. The concept wasn't foreign to her, she survived by entertaining men for years, after all. She wasn't going to let Varric know about it, she wouldn't let him know in fear he'd see her as dirty for what she was about to do. She'd have to find a way to slip off without him noticing. Thinking about the whole thing made her head hurt, but it was worth it. Rosella was currently in her quarters getting dressed for tonight's events. Her outfit was different from the rest of the Inquisition. She was wearing a gown of white and golden rose shaped embellishments. The dress slightly hugged her figure, though it was long and flowing. The bodice accentuated her large breasts, while still leaving much to the imagination. Her hair was slightly held back by two braids, and a golden rose hair piece that linked them in the back of her head. Her face was accentuated by the black and gold makeup that Josephine had done for her a little earlier. The look was completed by the white heels she wore. She looked at herself I the mirror of her wardrobe anxiously as she thought about the acts she would have to perform tonight. They made her stomach turn, but it was now or never. With that, she left the safety of her room to go with the others to the Winter Palace, sending Andraste a prayer as she does.

The night sky at the winter Palace was dazzling, it contrasted with the heavy air of rivalry and betrayal that surrounded them as they walked in. The game was in full swing, judging glances and hushed whispers filling the background with each of their steps, it put Rosella on edge. The small party consisted of Varric, Dorian, The Iron Bull, and herself, all being lead through the garden by Josephine and the Inquisitor. They made their way to the grand double doors of the Palace, and they all stopped to be announced by the Master of Ceremonies. Before their names were called, Josephine turned to Rosella and whispered to her.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Rosella?" Josephine asked in a slightly worried tone.

For appearance sake, Rosella gave her a charming smile while whispering back. "Yes, don't worry about me, Josephine. I will be okay."

Names began to call the members of the Inquisition down the floor of the Winter Palace's grand ballroom. They were called one by one until Rosella was left.

"…Lady Rosella Bihari, mage and friend of the Inquisition." The Master of Ceremonies called.

Rosella took a deep breath, and strutted her way across the floor, carrying herself with grace and poise like Josephine taught her. She added a sultry swagger to her walk, and it caught the eyes of many, the whole room keeping time with her swaying hourglass figure. All according to plan. At her arrival, the Inquisition split up to their posts for the night, leaving the Inquisitor to do the charming and snooping he needed. Rosella took this time to walk over to Varric and speak with him.

"Are you as nervous as I am?" She whispered to the dwarf.

"Just a little." Varric replied, looking over and up at her. "So, the dress..."

"It's nice isn't it?" She said with a cheeky smile, still having no intentions of telling her about the danger she was about to put herself in. "Do you like it?"

"Well, yeah. But why are you—"

"Ah, they have wine!" She cut him off as she took a glass of wine from a server passing by, taking a sip from it, and completely ignoring Varric which rubbed him the wrong way.

"Lady?" Varric questioned, sensing something wasn't quite right with her. "You alright?"

"Never better." She said with a forced smile. "I'm going to go talk to Leliana, meet me later?"

"Well… Alright." Varric said, mild uncertainty in his voice.

Rosella blew him a kiss before walking away to find her target that evening. "Forgive me, Varric." She whispered under her breath.

Rosella started her search but listening in on hushed conversations from the nobles around her, seeing if she could pick up any names. She spent quite some time walking around the palace, gathering nothing but boring gossip and scandals. Nobles were so petty and dull. Rosella decided she would suck it up and join conversations and coax information out of the nobles herself, but as she was walking to do so, she bumped into someone, a man.

"Oh dear, Monsieur, my apologies." Rosella said, bowing to man before her.

"Why, it is not problem, my dear." The man said, looking rosella up and down. "I have never seen you before, is this your first time attending a party in Orlais?" He asked, his accent thicker than blood.

"Yes, Monsieur." Rosella said, putting on her most seductive tone. "My name is Rosella, and I'm quite lonely here."

"Well, it is a good thing we have found each other, non?" He said, putting a hand on her waist, the motion making Rosella cringe inside. "Arnaud de la Motte, at your service, my dear."

 _Got you!_

"Oh my." She breathed, putting a hand on his chest as she brought her face closer to his. "You're making an offer I _can't_ resist." Her hand slid down his body, a little dangerously close to his groin. "Show me something interesting?"

"Certainly." Arnaud said with a growl, taking her away to a private room out of the eyes of the public.

Across the way of where the two had been speaking, Varric had emerged from hiding, having watched the whole thing. "I _knew_ something was up." He muttered to himself, stealthily following the two to their destination.

Arnaud had taken Rosella to a room in a forbidden area of the palace through the servant's quarters, away from the other guests, and she was starting to feel uneasy.

"You know, mon fleur. You remind me of a younger girl I courted."

Rosella tried not to let it show, but that comment churned her stomach, but she quickly replied in character. "In what way, monsieur?" She asked.

"Well." He began, as he opened the door and ushered Rosella inside. "She had the most beautiful pink hair, much like yours."

Rosella giggled and oved as his hands instructed. "And let me guess, she was an elf too?" She asked him sweetly.

"You guess right, you are sharp." He replied as he locked the door behind him, causing Rosella's unease to grow.

Rosella turned her back to him and searched the room with her eyes, looking for any clues. "And what happened to her?" She asked.

Arnaud came up behind Rosella, putting his arms around her. "Well, mon fleur." He said as he pulled a dagger out of his coat, putting it to Rosella's throat. "The same thing that's happened to you, Rosella."

Oh shit. Rosella's entire body tensed against the blade. "Wh-What are you doing?" She asked, still playing her role.

"You can drop the act, I know about you, he warned me you would come." Arnaud held her tighter as he then used the knife to remove Rosella's clothing, cutting her skin in the process. "I know all about you, you're just like your sister."

Rosella cried out sharply, she wanted to heal herself, but she couldn't move at all. "What did you do with her? Where is she?" Rosella asked him. She tried to think of a way to get out of her predicament.

"If you want to see her alive, I suggest you shut up and let me enjoy myself." Arnaud pushed Rosella to the ground, and straddled her body. "You know you want it. Finish what you started."

"No…" She whimpered, but she had no choice, she needed the information.

She felt helpless, all she could do was lay there and let him have his way, and pray it ended soon. For Mareli's sake, she repeated to herself. She could feel every disgusting touch of his wandering hands. They were cold, up her torso, her breasts, and her thighs. His hand dragging her blood up her body with each motion. This feeling of disgust wasn't foreign, he was just like them. Tears poured from her eyes as she retreated to the back of her mind to escape her physical torture. He was removing his pants, she knew what was next. She closed her eyes, and prayed for it to be over. And as if by a miracle, the door kicked in, it was Varric, with his signature crossbow. When Arnaud turned around to look at him, Varric shot him in the shoulder, sending him falling to the ground beside Rosella.

"Keep your hands off her, you filthy nug-licker." Varric's enrage voice warned.

"Varric!" Rosella cheered, she was so grateful to see his face, but she still had to take Arnaud down. While he was still incapacitated by Varric's crossbow bolt, she took the sleeping medicine out from the remains of what was her dress, and quickly shoved it down Arnaud's throat with her fingers, putting him out cold instantly.

Varric dropped Bianca, and rushed over to Rosella, holding her tightly in his arms, her blood soaking into his clothing. "You idiot, why did you do that!?" His voice broke slightly as his body shook, fear releasing itself from him.

Rosella also trembled as her tears fell heavier, she buried her face in his chest while she cried. "I'm sorry… I didn't want you to s-see." She whimpered.

"Rosella, they could have taken you away, they could have _killed_ you if I wasn't here." Varric scolded. "I told you I would be with you for this, why didn't you tell me what you were doing?"

Rosella moved her head from his chest and looked him in the eyes, her soft blue eyes filled with her tears. "I d-didn't want you to dislike me, and think I was disgusting… I didn't want it."

"I know, Rosella. I know." Varric sighed and wiped the tears from Rosella's cheeks. "I'd never think that about you. Never."

"Never…?" She asked, placing her hand on his.

"That's right, never." He said again as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "So don't go off and do dangerous things alone. Alright? I'm here for you."

Rosella nodded. "I'm sorry…"

"It's alright." Varric looked down at her body, noticing the gashes on her, his worry returning. "Shit, Rosella. That fuck cut you?" He asked angrily, taking off his sash to dress some of her wounds with it.

"It's okay, Varric." Rosella put her hands to her body, a golden light emerging from the wounds and begin healing her. "I can heal them."

"Just because you can heal, doesn't make it okay." He said, talking of his coat and placing it over her shoulders. He then turned his head to glare at Arnaud. "Sick fuck."

"We need to detain him." She said as she took her hand from her stomach, the light fading into her skin. "And we can't go back out there like this…"

"Well, shit." Varric cursed. He tried to figure out a way to get them back to the rest of the inquisition.

And as if on cue, the snooping Inquisitor walked by their door, and stopped. He was making his final round of secrets before heading back to the ballroom. He stepped in and looked at the two, then to Arnaud's body on the ground.

"Maker's breath, what happened to you two?" The Inquisitor asked, sounding less than pleased.

Rosella instinctually covered the parts of herself that Varric's short jacket didn't, and looked towards Arnaud's body. "I found Arnaud. I came here with him… alone… Varric saved me."

The Inquisitor pinched his brows and let out a heavy sigh. "Why on earth would you do something like this _alone_!?" His stern voice lectured.

"That's what I said." Varric chimed in, in agreement.

Now Rosella just felt awful inside, the guilt eating her to the core. "I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"Anyway." The Inquisitor walked over to Arnaud and searched him. "Did he tell you anything?"

Rosella shook her head. "No… He recognized me instantly. That damned bandit tipped him off." She hissed, her fist clenching as anger filled her soul. "I've got nothing…"

Varric rubbed Rosella's shoulder, and looked over to the Inquisitor. "So, what now. We've got the guy."

"We need to get answers out of him." The Inquisitor then took off his sash, and bound Arnaud's hands together behind his back. "The two of you can't return to the party covered in blood, you'd throw off the game. Stay put until the rest of us are done saving Celene. I'll explain this mess to her when we're done. I'll send someone for you."

"Yes, Inquisitor." Rosella and Varric said in unison.

The bells chimed, it was time for the Inquisitor to return to the ballroom. "Stay out of sight." He warned as he quickly left the room, leaving Rosella and Varric to themselves, closing the door behind him.

"Maker, I'm so… useless." Rosella's melancholy voice broke the silence as she took a seat on the silk Orlesian bed that occupied the corner of the room, her head sinking into her hands.

"Hey, hey. That's not true, and you know it." Varric said in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Isn't it? I thought I was strong enough to do this alone, and you ended up having to save me, _again_!" She looked up at him, her eyes were filled with tears once again. "He had me in a corner, and I made it so easy for him."

"You couldn't have known he was going to try to do that to you. This isn't your fault, there's no way you could have known." He moved closer and held her.

"I want to be stronger, so they can't hurt me again…" She whispered.

"Rosella." Varric moved his hands to her face, and rested his forehead against hers. "Being strong doesn't mean rushing into a dangerous situation alone. You know what being strong is?" He asked as he pulled back to look into her eyes.

"What is it?" Rosella sniffed.

"Surviving everything you've been through all these years, and still being able to smile as beautifully as you do." He shot her one of his signature charming smiles.

He managed to get a smile and a small giggle out of Rosella. She looked into his eyes, her honest feeling of admiration for Varric filling them. "You know, for a liar, you're quite honest."

"I know." He chuckled. "I've gotta make up for it later."

"I'm glad that I feel in love with you, even if you lie sometimes." She said.

Varric paused a moment, he decided he would give her one more honest answer this time. "Me too."

The night went on without incident, the Inquisition was able to stop Florianne and Gaspard, and saved Empress Celene's life. They managed to get Arnaud into custody, and have him taken back to Skyhold. The party ended beautifully, and the group went home to get some much deserved rest. When the two arrived back home, they both made their way to Varric's quarters to speak alone.

"So, do you feel any better, Lady?" Varric asked Rosella who was sitting on is bed and now wearing a pink nightgown.

Rosella nodded as she undid the braids in her hair. "I'm closer to my sister than I've been in five years. I'm grateful to the Inquisition for helping me. Especially you, Varric. Thank you."

"I promised you I would help you. I don't break promises." He said earnestly.

"My trustworthy dwarf." She teased.

"Don't forget extravagant storyteller!" He chuckled.

"How could I?" Rosella rolled her eyes playfully. "Varric… Can I stay with you tonight?"

Varric shrugged. "I don't see why not."

Rosella smiled, it had been so long since they had last spent the night together. "I have a request."

"Oh, do you now?" Varric stood. "What is it?"

"Can we sleep together…?" She trailed off, patting the spot on the bed beside her. "Here?"

Varric didn't really know how to answer her, he was taken aback. What was the harm in saying yes? Or rather, a part of him wanted to say yes. He thought on it a moment before giving her his answer. "Okay."

Rosella's face lit up, excess happiness just radiating off of her. "Really!?" She practically squealed.

"Yes, really." Varric said with a smile. "Move over."

Rosella did as she was told, laying in the spot a closer to the wall. Varric laid down beside her. The bed wasn't that wide, so the two were in close proximity of each other. Rosella could feel the heat coming from Varric's body, she turned to face him. This moment was so surreal, she couldn't believe he was right beside her like this. It was like a dream. Rosella hugged Varric's arm close to her body, and closed her eyes. The events of the day had completely worn her out, before she knew it she was out like a light.

Varric didn't object, she was happy, that's all he could ask for. Her body was soft against his arm, he could feel her heart racing against him, and his was too, but he wouldn't tell her that. He turned his head to look at her. She looked content, it fueled the fire that was burning within him. He didn't know how she did it, or when, but it was finally apparent to him the miracle she performed.

He fell in love with her.


	5. Well, shit

The sun slowly rose above Skyhold, announcing to the Inquisition that another day had begun. Surprisingly, this time, Varric was the one to awaken first. The dwarf grunted as he stretched, and then he noticed there was a weight on his left arm. He looked over and saw Rosella, sleeping peacefully beside him. He had almost forgotten she was there, the elf was quite silent when she slept. Varric admired her sleeping form, placing his hand gently on her cheek, so he wouldn't wake her. It was true that he had fallen for her, but he wondered if he could give her what she deserved. He was still hung up on Bianca, and he wasn't sure if he could ever let her go. Rosella deserved better than that. Rosella needed someone that could reciprocate her feeling wholeheartedly, and it was bad enough that he let her continue loving him the way he was. He loved her, he cared about her, he wanted the best choice for her, and he could never be it.

He removed his hand from her face, and slowly released his arm from Rosella's grasp, managing not to wake her. When he was finally free, he decided to take a walk and clear out his thoughts. He put on his signature brown coat, and carefully left the room. The door closed with a small creak behind him as he stepped out to the view of Skyhold's morning. It was quiet, mostly everyone opting to sleep in today and recover from the night of partying they had. There were a few people scattered about here and there, but they were scarce. He walked down the steps to the dewy ground of the courtyard, and then towards the steps to Skyhold's court. When he climbed the steps, he got only half way before a very familiar voice called out to him.

"Well, glad to see you're still alive, Varric." A female voice spoke.

Varric knew that voice anywhere, he turned around and looked down to her. "Bianca…" He had a bad feeling in his gut, but he didn't know why.

"What, not happy to see me?" She teased, walking up the stairs to meet him.

"What are you doing here? You know the guild will—." He began, but was cut off by Bianca.

"Don't worry, the guild won't find out." She said with a smirk. "Besides, I have some information you might wanna hear."

He didn't know what she wanted, but it couldn't be good.

Meanwhile, back in Varric's quarters, Rosella had finally woken up. The first thing she noticed was that Varric wasn't beside her. Varric wasn't in the room _at all_. How long had she been asleep? She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and got out of bed. Rosella changed into the spare dress she had brought herself for the morning, and decided to look for her missing Dwarf.

Rosella exited Varric's room, humming a tune as she went on her way. The air was a little warmer today, some of the flowers adorning Skyhold were in full bloom, their hues adding life to the dull stone walls surrounding them. Rosella always enjoyed nature, it always made her feel at home. She decided to pick one of the flowers, and placed it in her hair. She then continued on her search for Varric. She checked Varric's usual spot, Skyhold's court. She traversed the steps, at the end of it, she saw him. Her face lit up immediately as she moved towards him.

"Varric!" The elf cheered as she gave him a hug, completely ignoring the dwarven woman beside him. "I missed you."

Varric chuckled a bit. "Sorry about that, Lady. Didn't want to wake you."

Bianca looked on in annoyance, he didn't like the fact that Rosella was so close to Varric, not one bit. "Oh? Who's this, Varric?" Her words coming out in almost a hiss.

Rosella looked down to Bianca, tilting her head. "Oh, is she a friend of yours, Varric?" She asked, completely oblivious to who the other woman was.

Varric's face fell, he didn't know how to tell her in a way that she wouldn't feel upset, but she had to know, and Bianca would be angry with him if he didn't say anything. "Rosella… This is Bianca… Bianca, this is Rosella."

Rosella's heart sank, she never thought she would see the object of Varric's affection in the flesh. She slowly let go of Varric, and put distance between them. Rosella understood the situation quite well, Bianca was above her, after all. No matter how much it hurt, Bianca was precious to Varric. "Hello, Bianca." Rosella said with a bow, her tone more formal than normal.

Bianca kept civil, only because Varric seemed fond of the girl, but she didn't like her. "Pleased to meet you."

"Bianca's got a lead on where Corypheus got his red lyrium." Varric said to Rosella.

"And the two of us can handle it on our own." Bianca responded.

"I think we should take Rosella, actually." Varric countered. "Her mage abilities could be useful, there could be darkspawn."

"I'd gladly help a friend of Varric's." Rosella chimed in with a forced smile.

"Fine, have it your way. Don't keep me waiting, Varric. I've got my own work to do, you know." Bianca said as she left, not before shooting Rosella a dirty look, though.

The two watched Bianca vanish from Skyhold, and then looked at each other. The air was heavy with unspoken words, but each knew exactly what the other wanted to say.

"So, that's Bianca." Rosella said, giving Varric a forced smile even though she was clearly not okay.

"Rosella? Are you oka—" His question was interrupted by Rosella putting up her hand to him.

"Don't worry, I'm okay. I knew the risks, I'm okay. Okay?" There went that plastered smile of hers again.

It hurt Varric's heart, but he couldn't comfort her, not about this. "We'll head out to Valammar after I tell the Inquisitor. In the meantime, you should prepare for the trip."

Rosella nodded. "Got it! I'll come back later." She hid her pain behind an energetic mask, she couldn't let him see her pain, not here. Before Varric could respond to her, she ran off to the sanctuary of her room. She couldn't hold back her pain, the tears began to overflow in her eyes. She reached her room in no time at all, and when she closed the door, her entire body sank into the floor. She shook as the sobs escaped her. She knew the risks, she knew her love would bring her pain, but she still couldn't have been prepared for that. Varric's happiness meant more to her than her entire existence, even if her happiness meant causing her never ending grief. Bianca made him happy. He loved Bianca. It broke her heart, but this was what was best for him. She had to work hard today, so she could continue to watch Varric smile. When she finally out cried herself, she wiped her face, and cleaned herself up in her wardrobe mirror. She made a small vow to herself. She would protect Varric and his happiness at all costs, even if it meant her life. She would protect her love, forever. Rosella got dressed in the light armor that Cassandra had given to her a while back, and braided up her hair. She traded out the flower from earlier with one of Varric's roses. She looked over to her staff in the corner, it was a welcome present for Dorian. The staff was a winding rod of wood, branching out at the end, pink flowers decorating each branch. At the bottom of the staff was a rose etched blade. It was tied off with a bow crafted from blush tinted lace. She picked up the staff, she could feel his friendship and effort that he put into it, and it made her smile a little. With armor and staff in hand, Rosella set out to meet Varric, the fire of love burning within her.

Rosella met with the Inquisitor and Varric, and the three of them traveled to the Hinterlands. The trek was long, they had a few run-ins with a few Templars, but came out unscathed. The Hinterlands were a bittersweet sight to Rosella. This was where she saw her family last alive. She said a quick mental prayer for her people that perished to the war, and kept moving along. When they arrived at Valammar, they were met with dwarven guards, which they handled with ease. She had to hand it to the Inquisitor, the man was quite skilled with dual blades.

When they walked through the door, they were met by Bianca, hiding out in the shadows of the cave. "Finally, I started to think you weren't coming." She said, surprising the group.

"Nobody said you had to hang out in the creepy cave while you waited." Varric jested to her.

She walked towards them. "Well I did wait, so let's make this quick. These idiots are carrying out the red lyrium in unprotected containers. We don't want to stick around long enough for it to start talking to us." She then looked over to Rosella, their eyes met. The two had an unspoken distain of the other, but kept the war confined in hateful glances, for Varric's sake.

"Let's get started." Spoke the Inquisitor, leading the way into Valammar.

Rosella followed, she was on her guard. She wouldn't let Bianca get to her, she had a mission to accomplish, and failure was not an option. She was different, Varric had never seen her like this before.

Varric walked beside her, and whispered to the elf. "Lady, are you sure you're okay?"

"Never better." She said, her tone now akin to the authoritative tone of the Inquisitor's. Her eyes remained forward, not even giving him a courtesy glance.

Varric could tell something was wrong, but he couldn't force her to talk about it if she didn't want to. "Well, alright."

The group then came across their first obstacle, a group of dwarves began to attack the party on sight. Rosella put up a protective barrier around everyone with her magic, as everyone went in for the attack. The Inquisitor quickly breezed through each enemy with quick slashes from his blades. He was backed by Bianca and Varric, using arrows and bolts to weaken enemies, and Rosella who froze enemies with her ice attacks. The group had taken down their adversaries with precision, now they were free to continue on in their expedition.

Varric and Bianca were having a chat about the past, catching up on each other and old times. It made Rosella's stomach churn, but she had to let it happen. Varric looked happy. She could never compete with someone like Bianca, she's known Varric for ages, and everything about him, even his secrets. Bianca was just better than her.

They all faced a few more enemies, and darkspawn as they went along through each room. And then they came across the source, a cave. They needed to figure out a way to seal it, but how?

"We've found the source, but what to do about the cave?" The inquisitor pondered.

Rosella looked around, and then saw the debris on the ground, and she got an idea. "Please stand back, everyone." She requested and everyone did as told. She used her mana and the power of the veil to energize the boards scattered on the ground to seal off the cave. "There, they shouldn't bother us anymore."

"Well done." The Inquisitor praised her.

"I knew it was a good idea to bring you." Varric said, smiling up at her.

Rosella melted, but only for a moment. She still had a mission to accomplish, she couldn't be too overtly affectionate towards him around Bianca. "Thanks." She replied dryly, and brushed past him.

Varric wanted so desperately to comfort her, but knew he couldn't. All he could do was send s silent apology to her in his mind. His love for her, and his caring nature fighting each inch of him. Again, he said nothing.

They continued on, and were met with a locked door, and Bianca walked in front of them.

"I built these doors. They probably shut this one from the other side when they heard the ruckus we were making." Bianca said, as she began unlocking the door for them. When she was done, the door quickly slid down, and she looked back at the group, obviously proud of her work. "Ta-da!"

"That was handy." Remarked the Inquisitor.

"I get that a lot." She replied, nodding to the door. "After you."

The Inquisitor stepped forward, and led them through the door. Bianca's show of engineering skills really made Rosella feel lackluster in comparison to her. She was beginning to realize why Varric held on to her, there was no contest.

They all battled it out in a few more rooms before they reached their final destination. Within the chamber lied a table with a large key lying atop it at the end.

Bianca stepped forward and took the key. "There you are." She said as she locked the leak's entrance. "They won't be able to use this entrance again."

"Bianca…" Varric said, his tone sounding angry and disappointed.

The Inquisitor looked over to him with a raised brow. "You want to say something, Varric?" Rosella also looked at Varric, quite confused.

"Andraste's ass, Bianca! You're the leak?" Varric asked, clearly angry.

Bianca looked a little upset, she turned to Varric to speak. "When I got the location, I went and had a look for myself. And I found the red lyrium, and I… studied it."

"You know what it does to people!" Varric angrily retorted.

Rosella then realized the gravity of the situation, and her blood began to boil, but she bit her tongue, letting the scene continue.

"I was doing you a favor!" Bianca yelled back. "You want to help your brother, don't you? I just… wanted to figure it out." She said, looking down on her feet.

"Did you figure it out?" The Inquisitor asked, he wasn't pleased with her either.

"Actually… yes." Bianca began. "I found out that red lyrium… it has the blight, Varric! Do you know what that means?" She asked, turning to Varric.

"What? That two deadly things combine to form something super-awful?" He asked condescendingly.

"Lyrium is alive! Or… something like it. Blight doesn't infect minerals. Only animals." She said, guilt on her face. "I couldn't get any further on my own, so I looked for a Grey Warden Mage. Blight and magical expertise in one, right? And I found this guy, Larius. He seemed really interested in helping me research. So I gave him a key."

"Larius? He was the Grey Warden we met at Corypheus'… Oh, shit." Varric said, looking down, and then up to the Inquisitor. "I knew something seemed off!"

"I didn't realize until you said you found red lyrium at Haven. I came here and… well… Then I went to you." Bianca said.

"You told Varric you had a 'lead' so we'd straighten out your mistake." The Inquisitor stated, anger in his voice, a rare sight for him.

"I know I screwed up, but we did fix it! It's as right as I can make it!" Bianca argued.

"This isn't one of your machines! You can't just replace a part and make everything right!" Varric scolded, stepping towards Bianca.

"No, but I can make it right, can't I? Or am I supposed to wallow in my mistakes forever, kicking myself, telling stories of what I should have done?" She chided, her brows furrowing.

"As if I would tell stories about my own mistakes!" Varric retorted, his anger becoming more apparent.

"Enough!" Rosella's voice yelled, breaking the quarrel. She stepped forward, rage pooled her crystal blue eyes, and the rage caused her body to shake.

"Rosella…?" Varric looked up to the elven woman concerned.

"You." Rosella hissed, pointing a finger in Bianca's face. "You _used_ us, _you_ led us into a dangerous thaig, to fix _your_ mistake, and you have the _nerve_ to act all high and mighty to the person that _helped_ you! No, that you _tricked_ into helping you. Not only that, but you insult someone you're _supposed_ to love! Do you know how much he suffers because of you!?" It was like someone broke the dam on the elf's emotions, her honest feeling poured out of her and onto Bianca, she couldn't stop them. The rage poured out in excess, through her mana, lighting the nearby papers on fire. "Do you know how much pain you cause him, the face he makes when he says your name? _Do you_!?"

Banca was completely speechless, she just stood there motionless, eyes wide in shock.

"Rosella!" Varric shouted, in an attempt to get her to stop, holding her arm.

Rosella completely ignored him, she continued grilling Bianca's actions. "He holds your name so carefully on his lips, like a bouquet of flowers. He looks at you like you hold the entire world in your eyes... You don't even realize how wonderful he is, how caring he is… How lucky you are." Her anger turned to deep blue sadness and longing. "He always puts others first, no matter how much it hurts. He never thinks of himself. He never tells anyone the truth, to protect others, no matter what." Rosella held her hand to her chest, her tears of love for Varric escaping from her eyes. "He still smiles, no matter how much it hurts, no matter what. He puts himself in danger to save others, without batting an eye. HE's so beautiful, and his feelings are honest. And I… I…" Her voice breaks on the words she desperately tried to choke out. Varric stepped in front of her, raising his arms to put his hands on her face, a knowing expression on his face. Rosella leaned into his touch, and looked at him, her tears falling onto his face. "I love him…" Her pained voice finished, quietly. Rosella broke from Varric's caress, turned, away, and quickly ran out, going home without the others.

"Wait, Rosella!" Varric called out to her, but it was no use, she kept running, and then she disappeared from sight, leaving the three of them alone. "Rosella…" Varric felt guilt in his heart, he had made her suffer so much.

Bianca snapped out of her trance, and then looked over to Varric. She wasn't sure what to say to him, or really what just happened.

Varric turned and looked at her, Rosella's words echoing in his mind. "We need to talk…"

Back at Skyhold, Rosella was sitting in the garden, on the edge of the fountain. She ditched her armor for the Lilly white gown she was given on her second day at Skyhold. She had taken Varric's rose out of her hair, and was plucking the petals off of it, one by one, each one falling into the water below. She was lost in her thoughts on what she would do next. She did something unforgivable, she yelled at the one person Varric held dear to him, there's no way he would forgive her for that. She had to apologize at the very least, and then she had to leave, there was nothing left for her. She looked up to the night time sky, the stars scattered among the deep blue glittering brilliantly. She had looked at the sky from Skyhold many times, she would miss its comfort.

Varric finally arrived back, and found her sitting there, looking up at the sky with her tear filled eyes. She didn't even notice him walk up to her. "I had a feeling you would be here…" Varric said. Rosella jumped, and then looked at Varric. When she realized it was him, she began to run, but Varric took hold of her arm. "Wait!"

Rosella shook her head, as she tried to break free of him. "No… no."

"Rosella, please." He tightened his grip, she needed to hear him out, and he was going to make sure that happened.

"I shouldn't have…" She whimpered. "I can't even compete with her, and yet I…"

"Rosella, that's not true." He tried to reason with her.

"It is true! She's strong, she can build things, and she's a bloody _dwarf_ for Andraste's sake! I can't even hold a candle to her…" Rosella sobbed, her body beginning to tremble, but she still refused to look at Varric.

"Rosella, please, look at me." Varric pleaded.

Rosella hesitated, but she stopped pulling away from him and finally turned around to face him. She braced herself to be chided, but it never came. Instead, Varric moved his hand down her arm, to her hand, and interlaced their fingers.

"Rosella, I want to be with you." Varric confessed.

Rosella couldn't believe what he just told her, it almost felt like a dream. Like she would wake up any second, but it was completely real. "Wha...?" Was as much as she could get out at the moment.

"Yesterday, when I heard you scream from behind that door, all I could think about was that I could end up losing you, it scared me. I realized that I don't want to be in a world that didn't have you in it. Not only that, but my life is better with you in it. I haven't felt this way about anyone else in a long time, and if I don't do this, I'm going to regret it forever. You helped me realize that. I don't know if I can be enough for you. I lie a lot, and I'm not good at dealing with things, but even so, will you let me be by your side?"

After a moment of processing Varric's words, and confirming the reality of the situation, she nodded. "Yes… Yes, Varric." She choked out, and hugged him. "Yes."

Varric hugged her back, and stroked her head. He sank into the moment, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from his heart. "I love you, Rosella."

"I love you too." She replied, pulling back a bit to look into his eyes.

They remained like that a second, before Varric moved a hand down to her waist, and brought her closer, their bodies pressed together in their embrace, and their faces centimeters apart. He took the other hand, and moved the pink locks from her face, and kissed her, slowly at first. She returned the kiss, and wrapped her arms around his neck. After a while, Varric broke the kiss, and rested their foreheads together. Rosella was practically dyed, well, rose, at this point, from her cheeks to the tips of her ears.

"I think my heart's going to beat out of my chest." Rosella jested with a giggle.

"Glad I'm not the only one." Varric chuckled.

The two stayed like that for a while, before deciding to go back to Varric's room and get out of the cold mountain air. Rosella had been there many times, but this time it was way different, she felt nervous, _very_ nervous. When they arrived, Rosella sat on the bed, and Varric followed, sitting adjacent to her. She didn't know where to start, or what to say, or what to do. Everything was out on the table between them, and she didn't know how to handle it, except internally screaming.

Well, there was one question burning in her mind. "Varric, what happened with Bianca after I left?" Rosella asked, undoing the braids in her hair so she could get comfortable.

"Oh yeah, I guess you didn't really see it." He said, laying back on the bed as he recounted the event to Rosella. "We talked. What you said, you were right, and Bianca realized it too. At first she was upset, but with her being married, and the entire merchant's guild after my head because of what we had, she decided that letting me go was better for me, and I thought so too. I guess you gave me the push I needed to let her go."

"Oh… I'm sorry." Rosella said, not really sure how to respond to him,

"Why are you sorry?" Varric asked in a laugh. "I'm glad you did it. Now I don't have to hold back."

"Hold back?" She asked.

"Yeah. I thought it would be unfair if I returned your feelings while I was still hung up over Bianca, so I held back my feelings for you." He said, making gestures in the air as he spoke.

"You really are the sweetest man I have ever met." She said, laying down beside him and resting her head on his chest, the hairs brushing up against her cheek. "Varric?"

"Yes?" He replied, absentmindedly running his fingers through her hair.

"C-Can I touch your chest hair?" She asked, rolling on her stomach to look at his face.

Varric laughed. "You already put your face in it. Go ahead."

She smiled, she had wanted to do this for so long. She put her fingers to his chest and ran her fingers slowly through the hair, it made her quiver a bit. "It feels better than I imagined." She sighed blissfully.

"You know, you've touched it before, you may not remember, though." Varric remarked, enjoying being stroked by her.

She tilted her head at him, she couldn't remember at all. "I did? When?" She asked.

"The night we went to the tavern, you got drunk, I took you back here. When I went to put you in bed, you drug me down with you, and put your fingers through it. You also told me that you had feelings for me then too." He recounted fondly, now that he didn't have to worry about breaking her heart.

" _I_ did that!? I don't even remember that!" Rosella explained, completely astonished.

Varric smirked with a nod. "Yep, don't worry, I wouldn't do anything to you when you're not conscious for it."

"And when I am conscious…?" Rosella asked. "H-Have you ever wanted to…?" She trailed off, looking away. She couldn't even ask about his feelings properly.

Varric got what she was saying, but decided to tease her a bit. "Come again? Wanted to what?" He played coy.

"Y-You know what I mean…" Rosella said with a pout, her face turning cherry.

"Do I?" He smirked, putting his arms behind his head. "If you don't say it properly, I'll never answer."

"Have you ever wanted… to have sex… with me?" Rosella finally asked, peeking over at him, awaiting his reply.

Varric smirked, happy with the results of his teasing. "Maybe."

"No fair, you said you would answer!" Her pouting face stared him down.

She was way too cute to bear, he wished he could hold this moment forever. He put his arm around her waist, and took her hand in his. "The answer is obviously yes. But I'd never do anything unless you were okay with it." He said. "I want it to be on your terms."

Rosella thought about it. She had never been intimate with someone out of love, she didn't even know _how_ to have sex out of love. But, she wanted to try, she wanted to know. "I've never had sex with someone I loved… I want to try. I don't know if it will be any good…" She said, her honest feelings written all over her face.

"Are you sure you want to?" Varric asked.

She nodded. "Can…Can we?" She asked, her face so honest and adorably pure.

"Well, alright." He said, guiding her onto the bed properly, and positioning himself between her legs. "If at any point you feel uncomfortable, let me know. I'll stop. Okay?"

"Okay." She replied, her face already heating up from the close proximity. This was already much different from what she was used to.

He took it slow, he leaned in closer to Rosella's face and kissed her, running his hand down her side. The kiss was dizzying, combined with Varric's subtle touches, she began to melt into the sensation. His kisses grew deeper, he pressed himself closer to her body, and slipped a hand under the hem of her gown. Rosella shivered and let out a small encouraging moan, and Varric broke the kiss. He looked at Rosella, primal desire in his eyes, she had never seen him like this before, and it sent a tingle up her spine. Instinctively, Rosella began undoing the clasps that held the rogue's signature red shirt closed with unsteady fingers. Varric smirked and helped her out while he leaned in, planting feverish kisses on her neck. Once each clasp was unfastened, he removed the red shirt and cast it to the ground, exposing the muscle and forest of hair underneath. His tongue slid up her neck, enough for her to whimper and bite her finger to silence the noises. Varric then slide his hand up her thigh, taking the dress with it, up and over her, exposing Rosella's body in one fell swoop. Varric leaned back from their embrace to admire her, much to her embarrassment.

"I-It's embarrassing if you stare… like that." She breathed out in protest, covering her face with her hands sheepishly.

His eyes scanned up and down her body in desire, committing every inch of her form into his memory. Her voluptuous curves, and rosy womanhood. It was going to be harder for him to hold back now. "You know, you really make it hard not to." He remarked, sliding down his hand down her body, to the junction of her thighs. His fingers crept towards the glistening heart of her femininity, plunging them inside her and watching her reaction. Her whole body shuddered as a rush of pleasure came over her, forcing a moan from her lips. Her hands went to grip the sheets, as the initial sensation passed. He took her moans as an invitation to go deeper, slightly curving his fingers as he slowly thrust his fingers into her. He stopped only when he hit a spot that made Rosella's back arch, and her toes curl.

"M-Maker…"came from her lips as she looked up at him with half-lidded eyes, her breathing growing heavy.

"Oh, did you like that?" His smooth voice asked, obviously having fun with this.

"Please… don't stop." Rosella begged, and Varric complied.

He resumed his thrusting his fingers once more into her sweet spot, her fevered moans singing into the room with every motion. The dwarf was skilled, he knew every tantalizing touch to keep her begging for more. An intoxicating heat grew within Rosella's core, she didn't recognize the sensation, it made her legs tremble as she lost control of her voice, and her inhibitions.

"Yes!" She purred, right on the edge. And then the motions ceased, again. Varric removed his fingers from her center, getting a sound of protest from the elf. She gave him a semi-exhausted look of disapproval. "Wha…?"

Varric smirked down at Rosella a she started to undo the strings at the crotch his pants. "Just wait." He said, the last string was undone, and his throbbing arousal sprang forth from the imprisonment of the cloth.

She was in awe of the girth of his member, all she could do was stare, she certainly wasn't expecting it. "Blessed Andraste…" She whispered.

"Glad you like it." He chuckled and removed the remainder of his clothing, and the band that held back his golden locks. He then grabbed her hips, and positioned himself at her entrance that was dripping with anticipation. "Ready?"

Rosella nodded, her eyes inviting him to ravish her core. "Maker, yes!" She didn't care about courtesy at this point, her mind was taken over by lustful hunger for the other man's caresses.

He didn't waste any time, He thrust his length into her with a low growl. She was tighter than he expected, it was maddening.

At the other end, a shockwave of pleasure ran through Rosella, she tightly grabbed his hand as she threw her head back in euphoria. "V-Varric." She whimpered.

The dwarf couldn't contain himself, he began pounding into the heat of his rosy haired partner, much to Rosella's enjoyment. The air was filled with the sound off their colliding bodies, and their labored breathing, both of them now glistening with sweat.

"Har…der. Varric." Rosella begged to the dwarf between moans.

He took his hand from her hips, and moved it to the small of her back, leaning in for harder thrusts, Rosella's breasts bouncing with each motion. He grit his teeth as he grew closer and closer to the edge. A few more moments of thrusting and he knew he was close. "Rosella, are you…?" He trailed off, looking for a response for the elven woman.

Rosella nodded, "Yes! Yes, Varric!" She was seconds away from release, her legs trembled once more around the rogue's waist, and her grip on the sheets tightened. All at once, the heat growing inside her exploded into tremors of ecstasy, her whole body shook as she climaxed, the walls of her womanhood tightening around Varric's arousal.

He followed soon after, giving one final thrust into her before spilling his seed into her walls with a throaty growl. "Fuck…" Once he was completely spent, he slowly pulled himself out of Rosella, and collapsed beside her onto his back to recuperate.

The room was silent, except for the sounds of the two catching their breath. Rosella had never experienced anything on that level. There was no pain, no fear, just pleasure. When she finally regained relative control over herself, she turned to look at Varric, now a mess of pink curls and sweat. "That was amazing." She complimented.

Varric grinned and chuckled. "Yeah… It's been a long time since I've done that with anyone."

"I'm glad… I'm glad this time was with you." Rosella said, moving closer to Varric and propping her body up on his chest. "I love you, Varric." She said with a kiss to his scruffy cheek.

Varric held her waist, and gave her a proper kiss. Meeting her lips with his love for her, and pulling back to look in her sparkling blue eyes. "I love you too, Rosella."

She had never felt so content in all of her years of life, everything felt so real now. That he was hers, and she was his. She moved and rested her head and arm against his chest, and closed her eyes. She wanted to remember this moment for eternity. "Thank you." She whispered before she drifted off, entirely exhausted from their act of intimacy.

"Goodnight, Rosella." Varric stroked her cotton candy curls until he too succumbed to his fatigue. And the two spent their first night together as one in perfect harmony.


	6. Truth

It was morning again, and Varric was the first to awaken. He felt quite different, for the first time in maker knows how long, he felt serene. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and looked over at the elven woman who clung to him as she slept. The concept of romance was foreign to him, he couldn't even write about it properly, let alone experience it. He didn't know how to be someone's significant other, years of chasing after fruitlessly chasing after Bianca didn't give him much time to figure it out. But, what he did know was that when he looked at Rosella, his world felt alright. That was enough for him. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer as he buried his face in her messy plush pink tresses. He wanted to hold on to this feeling, hoping it would last forever.

The movement broke Rosella from her sleep, she made a light sound of disapproval, before slowly opening her eyes to see the person that disturbed her sleep. Her eyes saw… chest hair? And then she remembered where she was, who she was with, and then what happened last night. The woman just about thought she had dreamt the whole thing, she was slightly taken aback. She kissed Varric, and not only that, she actually _slept_ with him. The memories came flooding back to her at full force, she couldn't believe it. He didn't know what to do, what would she even say? She was like a dog that had finally caught its own tail, no idea what to do with it.

But, before she could even think about it, Varric pulled back from their embrace to look at her, and then he noticed her eyes were wide open. "Oh, sorry, Lady." He said with a chuckle. "Morning."

"G-Good morning." Rosella stuttered out, still in disbelief. "You really…? We really…? L-Last night…?" She asked cryptically as her face heated up a pretty shade of rose.

Varric took a moment to decipher what she was trying to ask him, he grinned, she was just too cute. "If you don't use your words, I'll never answer." He teased as her blush grew deeper.

Rosella pouted and pulled away, she refused to give him the satisfaction. "I won't let you get me this time."

Varric laughed, and pulled her back into an embrace, planting kisses on her face. "You know, I wouldn't tease you if you weren't so cute." To hearing this, Rosella gave him another embarrassing look, and his grin just grew wider. "See? Just like that." He laughed.

Rosella pouted once more and buried her face into his chest so he couldn't view her reactions any more. "You ass." She grumbled.

Varric basked in the glory of his work, before speaking to her again, his voice now filled with a more genuine tone. "Hey, look at me for a second." He said.

Curious, Rosella slowly moved her head from the safety of his chest, and looked up to him. Varric moved his face closer to hers, and placed his hand on her cheek. He looked into her eyes for a moment before he closed the distance between them and kissed her. Rosella eased into it, and kissed him back. After a few seconds passed, Varric broke the kiss, and pressed their foreheads together.

Varric then moved his hand from her face, to interlace their fingers. "I love you." He said to the elven girl, the phrase now coming natural to him.

Rosella smiled softly at him as she gave him her reply. "I love you too." She gave him an eskimo kiss, before moving to sit up, stretching as she did so. It then dawned on her that she had something important, and frightening to do today. Today was the day she would go to question Arnaud, and finally find out about what happened to her sister. She had been putting it off out of fear, but she needed to find out where her sister was. Her posture changed to a sulk, and her face to a noticeable frown. She sighed and put her face into her hands as the anxiety filled her.

Varric saw the change, and sat up beside her, putting his hand on her back. "Hey, what's wrong?" He said, slightly worried. "Did I do something wrong?" He asked.

She shook her head and removed her hands from her face, she gazed to an empty corner of the room in thought. "No, Varric, you didn't do anything wrong." She sighed again. "I have to talk to Arnaud today…"

"Oh… Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Varric asked, looking up to her.

"I don't know, between the whole Bianca thing, and then last night, it didn't feel right, or… maybe I wanted to just escape it. I'm scared, Varric. I'm afraid to know… What if—What if they've sent her somewhere I can't reach her…?" Her body started to tremble, as she held back her tears. "What if she's… she's…" She couldn't get the words out.

Varric shushed her, and pulled her in for a hug, gently stroking her head. "Hey, hey, it's alright. Don't worry, Lady." He said as he comforted her. "Do you want me to come with you?" He asked.

Rosella nodded, wiping away the few tears that escaped. "Please…"

"Okay." He said, moving to look her in the eyes. "He won't get away with this. I'll drag him through hell myself if I have to. I promise." He placed a kiss on her cheek. "I'll protect your smile no matter what."

Rosella gave him a small smile and nuzzled against him. "Thank you, love." She felt a little better, but the outcomes were still heavy on her mind. "We need to get ready, Leliana and the Inquisitor are probably waiting on us." She said, moving away from him, and standing, her bare body on full display in front of Varric.

"I don't know, I'm kind of enjoying this view." He teased as he looked her backside up and down.

Rosella then realized what the dwarf met, and promptly yanked the covers off of the bed. She covered herself and flipped him off with a pouty sneer. "You butt."

Varric blew a kiss at her before finally getting up himself. The two got ready for their meeting with Arnaud, both having bits of doubt hanging in their heads. They didn't know what they were about to walk into, but they knew it wouldn't be good.

When they were finished, they made their way to Skyhold's dungeon to meet Leliana and the Inquisitor. The walk felt like an eternity, though Varric's room wasn't that far from it. Rosella could feel the anxiety bubble up inside her with every step, but she had to know. The two finally made it, and saw Leliana and the Inquisitor waiting for them in the disheveled dungeon room.

"Thank you for helping me today." Rosella said as she bowed to Leliana and the Inquisitor.

"No problem." The Inquisitor replied, looking over to Arnaud's cell. "Are you ready to tell us where her sister is?" The Inquisitor asked the man.

Arnaud glared up at him from the floor of his cell, he looked moderately disheveled. "How long do you intend to keep me here?" He spat out, completely ignoring the question.

"Until you tell us where Rosella's sister is." The Inquisitor replied smoothly, folding his arms across his chest. "Your choice."

"My agents have gone through your estate, you have many dark secrets, do you not, Arnaud? What would Orlais think if they ever got out?" Leliana said, trying to coax out an answer from the man.

"You're bluffing" Arnaud scoffed.

"We have records of you having involvement with Gaspard's plot to overthrow empress Celene, I don't think she would take lightly." The inquisitor spoke up.

Arnaud began to little more tense, but still tried to save face. "Why would you leak that if you need my help?"

"You have given us nothing, and I am sure Empress Celene would have no qualms allowing us to keep you until the Maker takes you. You can tell us, and this can go away, or we can keep you here, forever." Leliana said, pacing in front of his cell door.

Arnaud weighed his options before making a decision. "You drive a hard bargain, so much effort you go through, for a dead girl."

Arnaud's words struck through Rosella like an arrow, the anxiety bubbled over, her body shook. "…Dead?" Came quietly from her lips in question.

Varric took hold of Rosella to try and keep her calm, shooting a glare at Arnaud in the process. He was ready to end the man, but they still needed verification. "What are you saying?" Varric interrogated.

Arnaud smirked, he would have one last moment of pleasure torturing Rosella before he was set free. "Do you not remember, mon fleur? I told you at the winter palace. 'You remind me of a younger girl I _courted_.' That tells you what?"

Rosella recalled the conversation in shock, how could she have missed that. She was unable to stand, her body sank from the shock as she stared at the ground unblinking. "No…"

"Oh yes, my dear. It was I who did it, after all. She really did look like you, right down to that delightful look of fear as my dagger pierced her heart." Slithered out of Arnaud's mouth, the man clearly having fun with this.

"Stop it!" Rosella screeched, tears pooling her eyes. The grief took control of her magic, the area around everyone began to chill, small jagged shards of ice protruded from the ground.

Varric, in an attempt to calm her down, hugged her, speaking in a gentle whisper. "It's okay, I'm here, It's okay." He shushed her as she sobbed into his chest.

The Inquisitor took over the interrogation, to spare Rosella more agony. "That is great, but those are just your words. We need her or her remains. Where is she?"

Now that his game of teasing was over, Arnaud sighed and told them what they wanted. "She's in a chest, buried on my estate. She's under the largest tree." He said nonchalantly.

"How will we know it's actually her?" The Inquisitor interrogated.

"She is intact, it was not very long ago. That girl will know who it is." He said gesturing to Rosella. "Now, I think we are done, you will release me." He said smugly.

"Oh, you aren't leaving. We've already told Celene about what you did, you're here for the rest of your life, Arnaud." The Inquisitor said walking away, Leliana followed.

Arnaud gritted his teeth and glared at the Inquisitor. "I have had no trial! You cannot do this!" his retorts fell on deaf ears.

Meanwhile, Varric got Rosella up from the ground, he put her arm around his shoulders to get her out of the dungeon. Before he left with her, he turned to Arnaud and spoke, anger filled his eyes, but his demeanor was eerily calm. "If it were up to me, you would die the same way she did." He then turned and took rosella outside with the others.

Her head was a mess, she always had thought there would be a possibility her sister could have been dead, but she could never have imagined the weight of grief that the news would bring her. She was overwhelmed, denial, grief, anger, they all took over, battling it out inside of her mind. Her eyes stayed fixated on the ground.

When he finally got Rosella out of the room, he sat her down on the ground to talk to her. "Rosella…?" He asked, holding her face between his hands. Her skin was still cold from the magic pouring out of her, it was slightly unnerving. She looked at him, but said nothing, hollow sadness filled her blue eyes. He didn't know what to do.

The Inquisitor spoke up from behind Varric. "We have to confirm Arnaud's story, we will bring what we find back here for Rosella to look at, when she's ready…" He then looked at Rosella. "I'm sorry." He said before he walked away with Leliana, giving the two some privacy.

"Thanks…" Varric said before turning his attention back to Rosella. "Rosella? Are you okay?" He called out again to her.

Rosella finally broke out of her own mind, she looked at Varric properly, and the tears fell, they were endless. And then came the sobbing, the wails of sadness and agony, all at once. She couldn't hold back her pain, and she collapsed into a mess of tears and anguish onto his chest. Varric just held her close, and let her get it out of her system, saying nothing, but gently stroking her head. He gave her a minute before he spoke.

"Come on, let's get out of here." He said softly to her.

The two eventually made it back to Varric's room. Hours went by, Rosella's sobs quieted down to occasional whimpers, until she was physically unable to cry. They sat on Varric's bed, close together in an embrace, silently. Varric was waiting for her to speak, when she was ready to. He offered her physical comfort until then, giving gentle kisses to her head and face, and occasional caresses. The room was still for a moment, before Rosella's exhausted and dry voice broke the silence.

"I've lost… everything." She choked out. "Mother, father… Mareli. What did they die for….? What did my people die for…? It… It should have been me…"

Her words broke his heart, even more so that he witnessed the very epicenter that caused all of her pain. "Don't say things like that." He said, holding her tighter. "That isn't true. Your parents died protecting you and her. Don't let that sacrifice go to waste."

"That means nothing if Mareli is dead! It was all for nothing!" She shouted, pulling away from him. "I couldn't even save her! I was useless! They saved me for nothing! You saved me for nothing!"

"It wasn't for nothing!" Varric shouted back, and Rosella froze. The dwarf sighed, and let her go. "I saved you because I saw something in you. You have power to help the world, not only that… but you also helped me. If it weren't for you, I'd still be chasing Bianca for Maker knows how long. But, because of you, I actually a future to look forward to. I can _think_ about a future." He took her hands in his, and looked her in the eyes. "I know I can't bring your family back, or replace the things you've lost, but I hope that I can do the things you've done for me, with time."

Rosella calmed down a bit, and she looked down at their hands. Right now, she couldn't see any future, the only one she lived for all this time was shattered. She didn't know how to live without her sister, but she wanted to believe. She wanted to believe that he could save her, but she was hesitant. "Varric…" She started, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. Her heart sank, she knew it was time to face the truth, she felt sick. Varric let go of her hands to get up and answer the door. She wanted to tell him to stay, but the word wouldn't come out. Instead, she sat there in the purgatory of her mind, waiting for the inevitable.

Varric opened the door slightly, he was greeted by the Inquisitor, and a large rectangular chest on the ground. Varric whispered to the Inquisitor so that Rosella couldn't overhear their conversation. "Is that… her?" He asked, giving the chest an uneasy look.

The Inquisitor nodded, and whispered back to the rogue. "It was where he said. Is she ready?" Asked the Inquisitor.

Varric paused for a moment and looked over his shoulder at Rosella, who didn't look good at all. HE then looked back to the Inquisitor. "Give me a second."

"When you're ready." The Inquisitor replied with a nod.

Varric closed the door and walked back over to Rosella. "Are you ready to see her…?" He asked.

Rosella shook her head. "I could never be ready for this…" She said softly.

Varric offered his hand to her. "I'll be with you. You won't have to go through this alone." He reassured. "Whatever happens, I'm here for you."

Rosella hesitated before taking his hand. She felt cold again, her heart was pounding in her throat. The worst feeling of overwhelming dread filled her, but she trusted Varric's words. She stood, and walked with the dwarf to the door. She took a deep breath as Varric opened the door. And there stood the Inquisitor, and the chest. Rosella immediately felt dizzy, she braced herself on the doorframe as she stared at the chest in shock. "Is she… really in there?" She managed to get out.

The Inquisitor nodded, and knelt down to the golden fastenings of the chest. "Would you like to see now?" He asked her.

Rosella gave a silent nod, she gripped Varric's hand tighter, she felt like she might faint any moment, but this had to be done.

With Rosella's consent, the Inquisitor opened the chest, and laid in it a girl, covered in bruises and gashes that looked just like the younger version of Rosella. Her arms were folded across her chest, and she was covered in dried blood. Her eyes were closed, as if she was sleeping, her short pastel pink curls scattered across her peaceful face and the bottom of the chest.

Rosella stared at the girl, unblinking. There was no denying it now, her sister was gone. The last piece of her family was lying in that chest, dead. Rosella slowly knelt down to the side of the chest, staring into it without a single word or even a sound. Her trembling hand made its way to the edge of the box, and then down to the face of the elven girl inside of it. The skin was cold under her fingertips, it was unsettling for her. Rosella's eyes shed tears as she caressed her sister's face, for the first, and the last time since they were separated. She then moved to pick up Mareli, she put her hands underneath the girl, and lifted her stiff body out of the chest, and into her arms. She positioned the girl into a cradling position, her upper body held close to Rosella's chest, and she began to sing.

 _"Elgara vallas, da'len… Melava somniar…"_ Began Rosella's shaking voice out into the air, her tears falling onto her sister's face. She tucked the hair out of Mareli's face, and held the girl tighter as she continued to sing through her sobs. _"Mala taren aravas… Ara ma'desen melar … Ara ma'desen melar…"_ The air grew fridgid as she finished singing, and if by magic, snow began to slowly fall from the skies above them. Her lament struck the very heavens, and materialized itself into snow. She then whispered to her sister a prayer, hoping it would reach her, wherever she was. "Falon'Din enasal enaste, Mareli..."

Varric took this moment to walk over to Rosella, putting his arm around her shoulders, and whispering the only words he knew how in this situation. "I'm sorry." He got a nod in response from the pink-haired lady.

The Inquisitor also spoke up. "I'm sorry for your loss, Rosella." He said with deep respect as he bowed to her. "May I ask, what should we do with Arnaud?" He asked.

Rosella shook her head. "Do whatever you want… I don't care." She said dejectedly. "It doesn't matter anyway… she can't come back."

"Very well." The Inquisitor responded, and bowed once more. "I will leave you two alone." He said, and walked away, back to the cells to deal with Arnaud.

Silence filled the air again, the two were left with their thoughts, and their heartache. Varric tried to break the silence with something, anything. He couldn't stand seeing her like this, it broke his heart. "That song… it was beautiful. What was it?" He asked.

"An elvish lullaby... I used to sing it to her when we were young, and my mother sang it to me. Mareli… she liked it when I sang to her." She said, wiping her now frozen tears off her face. "I can't let go, Varric…"

"I know, it's hard. It always is…" Varric said, taking a seat beside him.

Rosella looked over at him. "You… You've lost someone?" She asked.

Varric nodded. "Yeah, well, three. I didn't really talk about it with you, but I'm the only one left of my family." He sighed and leaned back on the stone guard of the balcony they were on. "My father died when I was two, and then years later my mother died. And my brother, well… My brother was corrupted by red Lyrium, and I killed him to save him from it. He wasn't the best brother in the world, he locked me in a thaig and left me for dead, but it was still the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss him sometimes."

"How did you move past it all?" She asked, hoping for a magic fix to taking away the pain she felt in her heart.

"It's different for me… I don't really deal with things. I ignore it, I have a lot of shit to focus on with the world being overrun with demons." He said jokingly, trying to lift the mood. "What I'm trying to say is, it takes time. Eventually it won't hurt as much."

"I see…" Rosella said, looking back to Mareli, cleaning snow off of her face. She was a little disappointed by the answer.

"You know, putting her to rest may help. You'll get to say goodbye properly.

"I think… I think that's a good idea." She agreed. "I'd like that for her. Thank you, Varric."

"No problem." He said giving her a hug. "Come on, we should get out of the cold."

"Right…" Rosella said, getting up and gently laying her sister back into the chest and closing the lid.

The two returned to the warmth of Varric's room to plan a send of for Rosella's sister. She didn't know if it would take away the pain, but she hoped a funeral could pave the way to healing her aching heart. This was going to be a long travel.


End file.
